


And Then There Was You

by exobubz



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Angst, Drama, M/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-09-18
Updated: 2018-03-31
Packaged: 2018-12-31 09:22:41
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 48,986
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12129405
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/exobubz/pseuds/exobubz
Summary: Chanyeol returns to the place he used to call home and the boy who was once part of his world.





	1. By the Sea

_“He’s visiting his parents and his sister, Aunt Yoora.”_

_“Why not us?”_

_“Because we’re not his family, baby...”_

 

* * *

 

 

 **rating:** nc-17

 **length:** long!shot 

 **genre:** romance, drama, angst

 **warning:** mpreg (whoops), slight!angst

 **Author's Note:**  I would like to thank M for helping me birth the original story and the plot before I went on hiatus, and I'd like to thank Jam for helping me with the newer ideas that I randomly came up with. This story was original for a fest but I never ended up writing my ideas for it. I ended up mixing it with some story ideas that I previously had years before so I changed a lot of the details while constructing this piece. I hope you guys enjoy this story. I'm going to apologize in advance if it's boring and too slow of a pace for you.... but everything's slow and boring in the province ♥  
****

**Dedication:**  I want to dedicate this story to my grandparents, not because it's a gay fic or it's baekyeol or etc etc... The scenery inspiration stems from the Philippine country side, especially in the rice farms in Bukidnon where I spent most of my days with my Lolo and Lola..... Also, slight dedication to my home down in Agusan Del Sur where my childhood home is just a 5 minute walk away from the town bus station / market.

[tumblr](http://exo-ho.tumblr.com) | [twitter](http://twitter.com/exolefirstclass) | [wattpad](http://wattpad.com/exobubz) | [asianfanfics](http://www.asianfanfics.com/story/view/1209983/and-then-there-was-you-angst-romance-baekhyun-chanyeol-baekyeol-chanbaek) | [livejournal](http://exobubz.livejournal.com/)

 

* * *

 

 

**i. By the Sea**

 

The soft crashing of the ocean waves took over him, giving the dark haired brunet a sense of calm and peaceful serenity as he watched the sandy shore that cloudy afternoon, watching a young six year old dig near the water so the incoming waves would fill his sand castle moat. Pushing his hair behind his ear, Baekhyun made a silent note to visit the old barber in the village for a haircut. Looking at the watch on his wrist, he counted that they’d been there for approximately already an hour. The beach was one of their favorite places to be, especially on an afternoon where the clouds gladly decorated the sky gray, but his son had a birthday party to attend, despite the little one’s soft mumbles about not wanting to attend.  
  
Standing up from where he sat, Baekhyun wiped the sand off his shorts and shirt before cupping his mouth with both hands and hollering. “Kyungsoo! It’s time to go, baby.”  
  
The distance between them wasn’t enough for the child’s disappointed grimace to be invisible to his father’s eyes. Grinning softly, Baekhyun walked across the sandy plane to help the boy put all of his sand building tools in his little red bucket. When they finished, he touched Kyungsoo on the head, moving his hair away from his face.  
  
“Would you like for me to take a picture of this castle?”  
  
Kyungsoo looked down at his work, but shook his head. Baekhyun only smiled. The boy never wanted any of his sand castles photographed, but Baekhyun always would anyways. It was a parent thing.  
  
After putting his cell phone away, old and a little bulky in the back of his pants, Baekhyun held Kyungsoo’s hand and together, they walked off the beach. The bike that Baekhyun owned was faded in red paint, but very durable. His parents had given it to him when he moved back from Seoul. It was supposed to be a means of transportation for him temporarily, but he never got around to actually buying a used car, especially not with an unexpected pregnancy.  
  
Picking up Kyungsoo by the waist, Baekhyun hoisted him on the back seat. Using one hand to hold onto the six year old, he snapped Kyungsoo’s helmet on his head. Ordering the boy to keep still, Baekhyun got on the bike and went on to tell him to hold on to his waist. After kicking the bike stand back into its rest position, the brunet turned his head back and smiled.  
  
“We’re going back to the house to get you cleaned up for the party, okay?”  
  
Kyungsoo never answered, only nodded understandingly.  
  
He never talked much. At first, it was concerning to Baekhyun. He even had to borrow a bit of money from his parents in order to take Kyungsoo to a children’s doctor in a nearby town so she could evaluate him. It turned out that the boy was fine. Just uninterested in talking very much. It was unusual for a child, but it didn’t mean there was anything medically wrong.  
  
Nodding, Baekhyun focused on the surrounding. After making sure there were no cars from behind, he began pedaling them home on the edge of the cracked and faded road by the shores of sea.  
  
-  
  
-  
  
Kyungsoo was unexpected, but he was probably the best thing ever given to the twenty-five year old. Smiling as he dried the boy’s hair, Baekhyun hummed gentle songs, bobbing his head from side to side while his son watched him with blank eyes. Despite the differences in their personality, Baekhyun found that they were a perfect little family.  
  
The greatest thing about Kyungsoo was that though his personality didn’t resemble Baekhyun’s, it never resembled his actual father’s either. Pursing his lips, the brunet gave the quiet boy a thumbs up before getting up from the floor.  
  
“Alright, little sir. Go get your naked butt dressed. I put your outfit in your bed for you.”  
  
As Kyungsoo padded out of the bathroom and headed to his own room, Baekhyun turned in the opposite direction, sliding the door to his room. It was small, significantly smaller than the little six year old’s. But there was a reason why Baekhyun gracefully gave his son the bigger room and that was because he was a growing kid. He’d need a big space to do all his homework amongst other things teens do. Him, on the other hand, it was a simple life. Wake up, cook, drop Kyungsoo off to school, go to work,  _pick_  Kyungsoo up from his parents’ home (since the little one had to walk there until Baekhyun’s job at the local market ended), cook dinner, put his son to sleep, shower, sleep, and repeat for the next day. He didn’t even have a bed. There wasn’t any room for one so he had to settle on a futon, which wasn’t as terrible as people often made it out to be.  
  
Slipping off his shirt, he knelt down and pulled the top drawer of his small dresser cabinet and took out a clean piece. From the hallway, he could hear Kyungsoo walking out his room. After quickly changing, he turned his head and saw the half-dressed child standing by the doorway.  
  
“Couldn’t get the buttons on your jumpers?”  
  
Without shaking his head or saying a word, Kyungsoo entered the room and sat on the floor, right in front of his dad. Chuckling under his breath, Baekhyun cocked his head as he pulled the straps of jumper up from behind and clipped it on the the front. After repeating the process on the other, he held up a finger before getting up and grabbing a comb lying near the dresser.  
  
“Don’t forget to take your present. Be on your best behavior, and make sure you at least  _try_  to eat the cake this time. Not all of it, but just try,” Baekhyun said as he combed the boy’s hair back. “You don’t have to talk if you don’t want to, but try and play nice with the others. You can do that, right?”  
  
As always, Kyungsoo nodded. He had Baekhyun’s full faith in that the twenty-five year old was extremely sure the latter wouldn’t misbehave. When his dad put down the comb, Kyungsoo turned around and ran to his room only to return, holding a carefully wrapped red box.  
  
“How long?”  
  
Raising a brow, Baekhyun cocked his head. “How long what, baby?”  
  
“Do I stay…”  
  
Frowning, Baekhyun walked over to him and picked the boy up into his arms. “Until the party’s over like the good little guest you are.”  
  
“I don’t like Jina,” Kyungsoo muttered against Baekhyun’s shoulder.  
  
“Honey, please don’t say that at the party, which I know you won’t because you know better,” Baekhyun said sternly as he walked them out of his room and into the small living room where he sat down on a chair, setting the boy on his lap. “Also, even if you don’t like her, it’s rude to not show up, isn’t it? So, just go, eat her cake and I’ll pick you up in two hours. Promise.”  
  
“Two?”  
  
Nodding, Baekhyun smiled. “If I break my promise, we can stop by for ice cream at the market and sit by the ocean again.” The way Kyungsoo’s eyes lit up at the word made the twenty-five year old want to lean in and kiss him on the forehead. Which he did. “For now, we have to go if we’re gonna make it on time. Let’s start walking.”  
  
-  
  
-  
  
The party was small, held at the only children’s park in the small rural community. When Baekhyun arrived with Kyungsoo, he saw all the parents standing by, saying their farewells before leaving. Some kids cried, not wanting to be left behind. Others playfully forgot about their parents and joined the party with ease. Beside him, he could feel Kyungsoo’s hold on his hand tighten, but decided not to comment.  
  
Jina’s mother greeted them, bending down to compliment Kyungsoo’s appearance before gracefully taking the present from his hands when he offered it to her quietly.  
  
“Still not talking?” she said to Baekhyun as soon as Kyungsoo began left him to socialize with the other kids--or try to. “Nothing’s changed much, has it?”  
  
Smiling at her, Baekhyun shrugged. “He speaks more often now, but still not a lot. The doctor says he’s fine. Just shy.”  
  
“I hope it’s just a phase.”  
  
“Yeah, well… If that’s how it is, then I can’t do anything about that, can I?” Giving the woman a light pat on the back, he laughed. “So, I’ll be back in two hours. I trust that he won’t be a problem?”  
  
“Kyungsoo? No, of course not. He may not talk much, but he’s certainly well-mannered.”  
  
Compliments for Kyungsoo always made Baekhyun feel proud.  _Extremely_  proud. “Then I hope you have a great afternoon. Mind telling Jina happy birthday for me?”  
  
“No,” she said, smiling. “Now go. You have errands to run, right?”  
  
“Yeah.”  
  
“Then don’t let me keep you. I’ll keep an eye out on Kyungsoo, Baekhyun. You take care.”  
  
“Thanks, Min!” Baekhyun said as he walked backwards in the direction of the market. “Like I said. Two hours.  _Two_.”  
  
-  
  
-  
  
The walk down to the market was a downhill stroll, which felt nice, but in the back of his mind, Baekhyun was well aware of the fact that he’d have to lug around bags of vegetables and spices up the hill to retrieve Kyungsoo and then repeat the process downhill all the way back to their little house at the edge of the tiny town. He took in a deep breath, at least grateful for the cool weather even though it looked like it’d take a rainy turn.  
  
The actual market ground was busy. It was always busier during the weekends, but the man Baekhyun worked for was nice enough to let him have the weekends off for Kyungsoo’s sake. Greeting the familiar faces, Baekhyun carefully walked his way over to old man Lee’s stand with fresh Romaine lettuce and Spinach. He was the easiest man to bargain with, especially due to the fact that Baekhyun worked for him, so the man was lenient on the prices when it came to the single parent.  
  
“Baekhyun, I had a feeling you’d be coming around today.”  
  
Smiling at the man, Baekhyun nodded. “Kyungsoo had a birthday party to attend. I figured I might as well do some shopping.”  
  
“Is he eating well?”  
  
“Just as a six year old should, if not more.”  
  
“How much do you want? Half off for you,” Lee said, laughing. He pointed at the box full of vegetables. “Just got these yesterday. Fresh tomatoes. Better than the ones you’ll get from Ms. Bing over there.”  
  
Snickering, Baekhyun gestured at the plants and said, “I’ll take three of the Romaine and a pound of the small tomatoes.”  
  
“None of the larger ones?”  
  
“I’ll just get those from Ms. Bing… Don’t give me that look. Just because she’s your ex-wife--”  
  
“She’s a shrew.”  
  
Rolling his eyes, Baekhyun snorted as he took his purchases from the old man and exchanged him with money. As always, the man liked to talk trash about the woman in bitter taste. “She still needs to eat, Lee. Anyways, thanks again.”  
  
“Yeah, yeah. Get out of here. I don’t want to see you on your day off when you could be with Kyungsoo.”  
  
“Like I said, little’s guy’s at a birthday party.” He waved. “I’ll see you Monday.”  
  
“Monday.”  
  
After leaving the old man’s stand, Baekhyun turned with the intention of heading over to Ms. Bing’s tomato stand. If there was one thing Kyungsoo liked, it was certainly  _that_  for some reason, but the brunet wasn’t going to complain about anything that was healthy for a growing six year old.  
  
As he walked his way to the other side, passing many vendors and other sellers, he noticed a familiar woman, hunching over a box of shrimp just caught off the bay that morning. Knowing that he had the time to swindle while Kyungsoo had to go through the insufferable events of childhood birthday parties, he walked over and put a hand on the woman’s shoulder.  
  
Surprised, but immediately welcoming, she smiled at him. “Baekhyun!”  
  
“Hello, Mrs. Park. Doing some extreme hauling today?” he teased when he saw the amount of bags she had around her. For a moment, he thought about offering his help. “Those look heavy… Is Mr. Park or Yoora here with you?”  
  
“No, no. I’m here by myself,” she replied. “Doing some shopping.”  
  
“Some… Seems like a lot?” Laughing, Baekhyun crouched down beside her. “What’s the occasion? Probably nothing that has to do with Yoora. I know she doesn’t like shrimp, and Sehun picked up that habit.”  
  
For a while, she did not answer him, seemingly trying to word her response carefully in her head before verbally giving it. Then, as if giving up, she sighed and looked to Baekhyun, happy and yet concerned. “My only son will be coming home in a few days. I thought that I should prepare his favorite meals for when he returns.”  
  
Baekhyun froze, staring at her as if she had just released a bomb on him--though it did feel like he was just hit with something big. “I’m sorry, but you said that--”  
  
“Chanyeol,” Mrs. Park said, bluntly clarifying once and for all. “Chanyeol will be coming home and staying with us for two weeks for his vacation this year.”  
  
“Oh… Is that right?” Baekhyun drew his eyes away from her, staring at the seafood instead. He attempted to smile and tried to seem happy, but he knew that she wouldn’t buy it to begin with. “You and Mr. Park must be very excited. Yoora, too. I don’t think he’s seen Sehun since the time you all visited him that one summer, but the boy was only about three and… Well, I’m just rambling now, but really. You must be happy.”  
  
“We are. We’ve very excited…” she said softly. Then, she put a hand on his arm. “Baekhyun, dear, I know that you’ve spent all this time hiding it, but…don’t you think it’s time you tell my son? He deserves to know about Kyungsoo, honey.”  
  
“Mrs. Park, we’ve talked about this,” Baekhyun replied gently. He understood where she was coming from. As a grandmother who enjoyed all of her grandchildren, it must’ve hurt her watching Kyungsoo grow up knowing who he was to her, but also knowing that Kyungsoo will never know who  _she_  was to him. “I don’t think it’ll do any good.”  
  
“What if he’s changed? He can be a father.”  
  
Shaking his head, Baekhyun gave her a smile that held no promises or hope. “I understand, but things are too difficult now. However… I promise that if the time ever comes when I have no other choice but to tell him, then he’ll know. But I won’t force us on him. I won’t do that to him or to Kyungsoo.”  
  
-  
  
-  
  
_“This has been an interesting night.”  
  
“But glad that our callers called in to let us know about what they think about the new bands we played tonight. We’re going to play one last song before Park and I go off air.”  
  
“Turn up the music, but don’t drink and drive!”  
  
“And with that, enjoy your night, kids.”_  
  
The green light turned off, signalling the end of broadcast. Taking off his headphones, Jongdae turned to his broadcasting mate, hitting him softly on the shoulder. “So have you made up your mind yet about going out tonight? The crew’s going  _drinking_ ,” he said, trying to coax the other. “It’s on the producer--Isn’t it, Junmyeon!?”  
  
From beyond the broadcasting glass, the young producer rolled his eyes, nodding.  
  
Smirking, Chanyeol set aside his headphones and leaned back in his seat. He was tired, neck aching from terrible nights of failed attempts to sleep, but he  _was_  hungry and a drink or two didn’t sound so bad. He didn’t have any plans of being entirely dead drunk, but it was a Friday night and it was his last show for a while. Celebration called for alcohol.  
  
“How wasted will I be if I say yes?”  
  
_“Fucking wasted.”_  Jongdae grinned. “And if you turn on the charms and smile the way you do when you’re out to get something a little sweet and wet, you might even get a good fuck before shipping yourself back to your hometown full of the old and the dying. Hardly the place for a rough and tumble bachelor like yourself.”  
  
Throwing his head back, Chanyeol burst out in a fit of laughter before containing himself enough to get out of his seat and start walking back to the studio. “Whatever. Sign me up. Are you leaving right now because I gotta go take a piss.”  
  
“By all means, piss away,” Jongdae said, bending over as if to mimic a curtsy. “I gotta stop by the lounge and get my things. Meet you down in the lobby.”  
  
“Sounds great.” Stretching his arms in the air, Chanyeol yawned before noticing his producer walking over to him. Cocking his head to the right, he crossed his arms. “So, ready to pull out that black card of yours?”  
  
“Least I can do for the ratings you give this station.” Junmyeon rubbed the back of his neck. “Got anything to get before we let the next team take over?”  
  
“Nothing,” Chanyeol replied. “Didn’t bring anything but my keys and wallet today.”  
  
“Practical. Headed off to the restroom?”  
  
“Yep.”  
  
They began walking out the room, briefly greeting and saying good-bye to the staff getting ready to host the next show. Normal people would’ve been tired and exhausted, but the people who worked in that building were practically nocturnal. Work by night, sleep by day, and Chanyeol was no exception.  
  
“What’s this deal with your sister? Heard you’re doing her a little favor.”  
  
Chanyeol shrugged. “Little favor my ass. She’s been bugging me to visit the village this year for my time off,” he said, sounding more annoyed than he intended. “Family, you know. They want to see me.”  
  
“Ever told them that they’re more than welcome to visit you here? Somewhere where there’s, I don’t know,  _civilization_?”  
  
Snorting, Chanyeol laughed. “They say they don’t like it here, which is bullshit. What’s not to like?”  
  
“Exactly.”  
  
“I just call them every now and then, but that’s it. They still send me letters and get their pictures developed like it’s not the twenty-first century already.”  
  
“It sounds like the stone age,” Junmyeon muttered. “If you need any help down there, give me a call and I’ll pull some strings to get back here where there's electricity and running water.”  
  
“Thanks for the offer, but I think I can survive two weeks without dying--hopefully.”  
  
“Well, you never know what could happen.”  
  
“I’ll just pray the time goes by quick and easy all the way there,” Chanyeol said, sighing when he saw the restroom sign. “See you downstairs? Don’t be assholes and leave without me.”  
  
“Why would we leave without you? Tonight is all about Park Chanyeol.”  
  
-  
  
-  
  
Baekhyun woke up at five-thirty to the sound of his blaring alarm. He was tired, exhausted, but not physically as much as he was mentally, mulling over the fact that his ex-boyfriend might be rolling into town that particular day. Pushing himself up from the bed, he rubbed the back of his neck before he stopped and plopped back on the futon groaning.  
  
It had been seven years since they last saw each other, even  _talked_. Despite the older man’s life in Seoul and his quiet life in their home village, the world wasn’t small enough for them to never meet again, accidentally or not.  
  
The second he realized he was dreading too much on the issue, he sat back up again, pushing aside his blankets. There were things that needed to be done. He needed to take a shower, start cooking, wake Kyungsoo up and get him ready for school. Baekhyun had all the time in the world to think about bumping into his ex-boyfriend, though he knew this wasn’t exactly true since he probably had less than twenty-four hours to get himself ready.  
  
Walking from his room and straight into the small kitchen, Baekhyun turned on the lights and the small radio he kept near the edge of what little counter space he had to work with. Though the music that played had little bits of static noise to it, it was part of his morning routine to listen to old music, often classical.  
  
It didn’t take long to cook the eggs and the rice. Being a single parent for six years also taught Baekhyun how to make soup in just half the time it used to take him back in the day. There was still kimchi leftover from when his mother stopped by the small house to visit them and drop off some food. The woman worried too much over her son and grandson’s health despite knowing how well-provided both were, especially with Baekhyun well-acquainted with people at the market who would often give him things on discount or for absolutely nothing at all.  
  
Waking up Kyungsoo was Baekhyun’s favorite part of the day. To walk in the boy’s tiny room and see him peacefully sleeping with the full knowledge that the boy was his baby alone, it brought a sentimental feeling to the brunet’s chest every time.  
  
Knocking on the wall twice before turning on the lights, Baekhyun put him his usual grin as he knelt down by the side of Kyungsoo’s bed, gently whispering things to the boy as he softly grazed his hand across his cheek. “Wake up, sleepy head. We have to eat and get you to school. It’s looking a little cloudy today so it might rain.”  
  
Kyungsoo slowly woke, his eyes fluttering tiredly as he did so. He lied still for a few seconds before Baekhyun put his hand underneath his body and began to gently push him up into a sitting position.  
  
“If you don’t get up now, your breakfast will get cold,” Baekhyun said in a song-like tone as he helped the six year old stand. When he was sure that the boy could follow him ten steps into the kitchen without toppling over, he turned his back and led the way. “Grab a seat, baby. I have something to tell you today.”  
  
Baekhyun waited while Kyungsoo nodded, padding his feet over to their table and pulled out a chair, crawling on it before sitting down. Multitasking, the brunet grabbed the bowls of rice and the kimchi bowls to put on the table. “Today, I’ll be working a little bit later. One of the fishing boats is coming back tonight and a senior at the market asked if I could help. I said yes since it’s very easy money to unload things. But this means you’ll have to stay at Grandma and Grandpa’s after dark. I won’t be able to pick you up at six o’clock like I always do. Nod if you understand, okay?”  
  
Promptly, Kyungsoo did as he was told and nodded.  
  
Smiling, Baekhyun went back to the kitchen counters to get the rest of the food. “You’re so smart. Have I ever told you how lucky I am to have you?”  
  
Then, for a brief second between getting the dishes and turning back around to the table, Baekhyun could’ve sworn on his life that he witnessed Kyungsoo smile to himself briefly before stabbing one of his eggs with a fork.  
  
-  
-  
  
Everything looked the same way it did since he last came, almost eight years ago. It wasn’t difficult to note. Even with the bus moving extremely fast on bumpy old and broken roads, he could still see everything clearly. The old candy shop he used to frequent was still there, though it had withered a bit. The sky was gray, but that wasn’t unusual. The weather there was fifty-fifty on the overcast.  
  
The bus passed by the market, which, again, didn’t look all that different. Chanyeol already found himself a little bored at the idea of being there for two weeks, but he couldn’t turn back anymore. At least, not so suddenly.  
  
Getting up, he took his duffle bag from overhead the second the bus began to near the only station in the small community. As it pulled up, he saw the broken, unfixed concrete, not really surprised at the lack of fixed features. The village was so small, no one felt the need to make a change. The village itself was like a time capsule, one that Chanyeol never had the intention of acknowledging ever again until then.  
  
Getting off the bus, he immediately saw his parents at the waiting station, sitting down and speaking with one another, completely oblivious to him for a minute before his mother looked up and saw him wave. Dressed in simple clothing, they made him look too extravagant despite looking in the mirror that early morning, judging himself to be plain.  
  
“Chanyeol! You’re here! We thought you’d never arrive!”  
  
Chanyeol smiled as his mother hugged him. He recognized her scent. Being gone made no difference with his memory. “I forgot how long it took to get here. Nearly five hours.”  
  
“The bus wasn’t too rough?”  
  
“The bus ride was fine. The only thing that was bad about it was the road over here. When’s the local government going to fix all the potholes and cracks?” He sounded more annoyed than he really was, but Chanyeol made no apologies. “It’s been years. The last time they did anything to it was when I was in grade school.”  
  
“It takes a long time for change to come around this part of the country.”  
  
“No kidding…”  
  
“Is that all you brought?” his father asked, looking at his bag. “No gifts?”  
  
“I didn’t know you wanted gifts… I bought some candy for Sehun and a bottle of soju for us later, but nothing too fancy.”  
  
They held conversations on the walk to the house not too far from the station, Chanyeol gave them brief details about his life and current job, along with his future projects in mind. He had been fiddling with the idea of returning to the music industry as a producer for newer artists, but that demanded his full time and attention, and he liked his job enough to be hesitant on leaving it. His parents, in turn, talked about the weather and the current fishing season, on how well that was going. Chanyeol tuned in, listening, but it seemed like an overplayed song since the last time he visited, they had talked about the very same things, almost to the exact detail.  
  
When they arrived at the house, Chanyeol saw his childhood home, still a little unappealing in comparison to the glass skyscrapers of Seoul, but that was where he was born and raised. Paint peels and all.  
  
As his father unlocked the gate to their small yard, he looked to his left, watching a familiar house in silence. Still old and rough as he remembered it. Then, with the sound of his name breaking his thoughts, Chanyeol ducked his head and entered the home.  
  
“Your room is ready for you upstairs,” his mother said after witnessing her son almost ram his head on the door frame. “Watch your step.”  
  
Grunting, Chanyeol looked up the dark brown stairs and sighed. He put one hand on the railing and stepped on the first step. Upon hearing the noise that ensued, he turned he to his parents and said, “The boards still creak.”  
  
“They’ve been creaking before you were born,” his father replied. “Some things we can’t fix.”  
  
“Good floors shouldn’t creak at all. I’ll try to get someone to look into this…” Chanyeol muttered. Nonetheless, he went on his way upstairs, familiar with the small setting, well aware of where to turn and where to enter.  
  
His old room was just that. Old. Posters of old bands that he used to glorify were still taped to the walls, faded but existing. There were frames for pictures with no pictures to show on top of his dresser, and it had been so long that Chanyeol couldn’t remember what used to fill the empty squares and why he felt the need to put it on something where he’d see it every day, first thing in the morning.  
  
Tearing his attention away from his room, he tossed his bags off to the side and threw himself on the bed. The fabric of the covers his mother used was nothing compared to the ones he had back in Seoul. It was rough and slightly uncomfortable. Nothing like silk at all. However, it was bearable. At least for two weeks, he hoped.  
  
The house was filled with silence aside from the fact that Chanyeol could hear his parents arguing over food and dinner preparations, but then after five minutes of pretending as though he was unpacking or doing something productive, he heard the front door open and the voice of his older sister ringing through the house.  
  
“Sehun! Come in here. You can play with Kyungsoo later! Let him be with his grandparents for a while.”  
  
Frowning, Chanyeol sat up before eventually walking out of his room and peering over the railing to see his sister standing by the door. A boy no more than seven dragged his feet into the house after being ordered by his mother, and Chanyeol caught himself being surprised at how big his nephew had gotten. The last time they had seen each other, Sehun was very… small.  
  
“Mom, did Chanyeol get here yet?” Yoora asked, voice resonating around the house. She closed the door behind her and raised her head when Chanyeol whistled, giving her a small two-finger salute. “Wow, you actually came home for once!”  
  
“Only because you practically begged me to.”  
  
“Well, it worked anyhow,” she said, smiling as he walked down the stairs.  
  
They hugged for a short while of time, though Yoora made it a point to hug him even tighter when her younger brother was ready to let go. When she finally released him from her hold, she called over Sehun and put a hand on his shoulder.  
  
“Sehun, do you remember who this is?”  
  
The boy blinked, but quietly nodded. “Uncle.”  
  
It was weird being called  _uncle_  of all things. It made the twenty-six year old feel a little ancient.  
  
Grinning, Chanyeol put his hands on his knees and got on the boy’s eye level. “You grew a lot since the last time I saw you… Well, anyways, I have some things up for you upstairs. Stopped by the toy store and thought you might like them.”  
  
Sehun’s eyes lit, but before he could say anything, Yoora turned him in the direction of the kitchen and told the boy to wash up and help his grandparents if he wanted the gifts uncle Chanyeol bought for him.  
  
Then, alone together in the living room, Yoora turned to her brother, teasing grin plastered on her face. “Oh, you’re so good with children. So  _kind_. When are you going to settle down and have some of your own, Mr. Park? I don’t doubt that you’re short on men and women wanting to bear your kids, let alone marry you.”  
  
Rolling his eyes, Chanyeol scoffed. “Listen, motherhood’s been great for you and Sehun’s my favorite nephew by default, but kids aren’t on the agenda. Neither is marriage at this point. I’ve got too many things going on with the radio hosting and the music producing scene. I’m only twenty-six. I don’t want to be held down by all of this domestic crap--ah. Sorry. Not crap, but you know what I mean.”  
  
Sighing, Yoora crossed her arms, loosely shrugging. “Well, fine. I guess that’s how all men feel at your age, especially boys who come from the city. You’re all too materialistic sometimes.”  
  
“Right,” Chanyeol muttered, ignoring her negative implications about his characters. “Anyways, where’s your husband? Still out at sea?”  
  
“Actually, he’ll be coming home tonight, but not until much later. Sehun and I are here to have dinner before we head back home and get things ready for his dad.”  
  
“So after tonight, should I expect another niece or nephew?”  
  
Scowling at her brother, Yoora jabbed him with her elbow. “Disgusting.”  
  
Chanyeol laughed, ready to follow his red-faced sister into the kitchen where the rest of his family were preparing the food and the table when he heard soft knocking at the front door. He looked back for a second before glancing to see if Yoora had heard it too. When his sister continued walking away, Chanyeol was left with no choice but to open the door himself.  
  
At first he thought it was a joke. The second he pulled the front open, he saw nothing but the road and the sea in the dear distant. Then something told him to look down, and there he was a boy with his eyes wide, cheeks slightly puffed, holding a plastic container. Judging from the container’s lid, the food inside was warm.  
  
“Um, hello,” Chanyeol awkwardly said. He looked around to see if the boy was with anyone else. When there was no one else in sight, he smiled, trying his best to appear friendly since Yoora once told him that he frightened children due to his height. “What’s your name?”  
  
The boy didn’t answer and only continued to stare back at Chanyeol blankly. Confused and curious at the same time, Chanyeol straightened himself and turned his head back. “Mom!”  
  
“Yes?” she said loudly from the kitchen.  
  
“There’s a kid here.”  
  
“Who is it?”  
  
“I don’t know. He won’t tell me his name,” Chanyeol responded, glancing back at the kid. “Um, he has black hair, dark brown eyes… Uh, he’s cute? I don’t know--”  
  
At that time, his mother had raced to the living room as soon as she heard Chanyeol’s description. Chanyeol couldn’t explain what it was, but his mother looked petrified the second she saw him standing tall and gigantic next to the kid who couldn’t have been than a little bit above his knee. But after a few seconds passed, she put a hand on her chest and looked as if she was going to cry. Before Chanyeol could comment on it, she shook her head and quickly walked to the boy with the large container.  
  
“Hello, Kyungsoo, dear,” she said in a soft voice, almost too endearing. “What do you have there?”  
  
“My grandma said to bring this.”  
  
“Oh? What is it?”  
  
“Clams.”  
  
“Clams?”  
  
Chanyeol couldn’t figure out why his mother was acting so… motherly. He watched as the boy, Kyungsoo, nodded. His mother then took the container from him and cupped his cheek with one of her hands.  
  
“Thank you so much, honey. Tell… Tell your grandparents that we said thank you.”  
  
“They said it was for someone special.” Kyungsoo glanced up at Chanyeol and met eyes with the giant before looking back at Mrs. Park.  
  
Smiling, Chanyeol’s mother nodded. “I see. Well, that special someone will enjoy this very much. Thank you, dear. Be careful going back home, alright?”  
  
Kyungsoo neither nodded nor said a good-bye. He walked down the steps, but broke out into a small jog. Chanyeol expected the boy to run to the left, headed to where most of the neighboring houses were located, but instead, he watched the boy run from his house and right next door.  
  
When he realized that Kyungsoo hadn’t made a mistake, Chanyeol furrowed his brows, confused. As the small boy walked the steps to the house, he didn’t need to knock or wait to be invited in. He merely opened the door and disappeared inside.  
  
His mother mentioned to the boy to tell his  _grandparents_  thank you… That meant that Kyungsoo’s grandparents were the ones living next door to them. Chanyeol looked back at his mother and after seeing the look on her face, he knew that she was well aware of what he was pondering on.  
  
“Did the Byuns move?” he asked. When his mother shook her head, Chanyeol looked back out the door and stared at their neighbor’s home.  
  
“Some things have changed, Chanyeol… but no. They still live there.”  
  
“They only have one kid.” His mother said nothing. “That means--”  
  
Shaking her head, she pulled her son back into the house and closed the door slowly behind them. Gently guiding him to the dining area where everyone else sat waiting for them, she softly said, “Let’s just sit down and eat. I’m sure you’re very tired and hungry…”  
  
Chanyeol was, but that wasn’t enough to distract him from thinking about the child next door.


	2. Seven Years

As his parents began clearing the table, Chanyeol took another shot of the drink in front of him. Yoora did the same, though less forcibly, watching her younger brother look almost too distracted to notice the way she had been staring at him for the last five minutes.  
  
The silence between them was only broken when Sehun got off the floor and pushed the blinds at the front of the house upwards, peering outside into the night. Frowning, Yoora released Chanyeol from her gaze and darted her eyes towards her son.  
  
“Sehun, what’re you doing?”  
  
“You didn’t let me play with Kyungsoo today,” the seven year old muttered in response. “His dad’s picking him up now…”  
  
Chanyeol perked. He turned around and left the table, Yoora following after. “Who’s picking him up?”  
  
“His dad?” Sehun repeated as if confused by the fact that he had to clarify again. “See?”  
  
“Chanyeol--”  
  
Ignoring his sister, Chanyeol stood beside Sehun and pressed his forehead against the glass, peering out the window. Squinting his eyes, he tried to see the two figures underneath the dim streetlight and though it took a while, Chanyeol eventually made out a familiar face looking over to hold a child’s hand.  
  
Without thinking, he left the window and unlocked the door. Before Yoora could even think to intervene, he threw it open and stared out, only moving slightly to the right when Sehun nudged him for space.  
  
“Kyungsoo!” Sehun yelled out, cupping his hands to his mouth. “Bye!”  
  
Chanyeol watched as the child he saw before, Kyungsoo, gave a small, but short wave as he was being picked up by his dad and settled into his seat. He said nothing, seeing as how the latter before him wasn’t too keen on interacting with him at all.  
  
“Bye, Baekhyun!”  
  
Kicking the stand off the bike,  _Baekhyun_  (Chanyeol was slightly annoyed how Sehun never said his last name, which would’ve hinted at the man’s marital status) waved back, giving the seven year old the missing grin that Kyungsoo had not given. He looked different from what Chanyeol could remember, but at the same time, he looked so unchanged. Granted that it might’ve been the poor lighting and the night making his ex-boyfriend seem that way, but Chanyeol just  _knew_  despite the circumstances.  
  
The two rode away without Baekhyun saying a word or stopping by to greet him. Chanyeol had been gone for so many years, it would’ve been common courtesy to stop by and say hello, but for some reason, that wasn’t the case. Baekhyun didn’t seem like he wanted to talk at all, and despite their break up being on good terms, the latter acted as if talking to him would’ve been an absolute nightmare.  
  
Then again, maybe talking to him wasn’t an option. If what Chanyeol had been thinking about was right, then Kyungsoo was Baekhyun’s kid. The brunet must’ve been embarrassed. He was only twenty-five with a kid in tow already. And was he even married? The thought brought a burning sensation in Chanyeol’s throat. It might’ve been from unresolved feelings for his first and only serious love, but he didn’t have enough time to linger about it.  
  
Yoora reached out and touched him by the arm. “He already left. There’s no reason for you to keep staring out the door, dummy.”  
  
“I know, but…” Chanyeol pursed his lips, mouth drawn into a line. “Kyungsoo… He’s Baekhyun’s.”  
  
It wasn’t a question. It was a statement.  
  
Responding, Yoora nodded. “Yeah.”  
  
“Then who’s Kyungsoo’s other father?”  
  
For a moment, she was silent, but the tension between them grew and eventually, she said, “Baekhyun doesn’t know, Chanyeol.”  
  
A chill ran through Chanyeol’s body as he turned to her. “What do you mean by that?”  
  
“What do you  _think_  I mean?”  
  
Chanyeol didn’t want to think about it  _period_ as the thought of Baekhyun’s promiscuity only gave him bitter feelings. Jealousy? He denied the possibility.  
  
His expression caught Yoora’s attention, amusing her despite his unhappiness at her teaseful play. “If you don’t like Kyungsoo because of what he means, then you shouldn’t have broken up with his dad,” she said, almost singing the words.  
  
Rolling his eyes, Chanyeol shut the door. “You know, you’re really annoying.”  
  
“As are you.”  
  
“And for your information, he’s the one who broke it off with me for whatever reason that he had.”  
  
“You were probably being an asshole.”  
  
“Maybe. I don’t know...”  
  
-  
  
-  
  
As Chanyeol expected, much of the (little) excitement he held for visiting his hometown was diminished quickly and without much to entertain him, he left the house mid-afternoon. Walking down the roads and the small pathways, making room for the small old women walking in the opposite direction, felt odd. He felt like an outsider in his own childhood home, but though that was something that he was uncomfortable with, Chanyeol found that he didn’t mind it much.  
  
There were occasionally people who recognized him and asked about his life in the city, commenting on how older and mature he looked, so “well-dressed and clean” compared to their own appearance and apparels--material gestures that Chanyeol felt slightly guilty for accepting, knowing full well that the majority of the people around him would never amount to the same wealth status he sat comfortably on.  
  
Many faces approached him and drifted by but there was one face that Chanyeol couldn’t get off his mind though he tried time and time again to think of another matter. It was useless, however. The look of the young boy’s face was lingering strong in Chanyeol’s mind, and the shadowy figure of Baekhyun’s presence was haunting, but it also sparked a curious interest.  
  
It was only halfway through the small town that Chanyeol realized he was walking in the direction of the gray and tired building of his old elementary school, but that didn’t stop his legs from continually moving toward the landmark. Never did it really cross his mind that he was being an odd intruder just by standing near the fenced perimeter of the school, watching the kids play out their excess energy on the structures. The hunchback teachers--both the kind old ones and the ones that Chanyeol used to find a bit prude and mean--knew who he was considering how he was always the problematic child up until he was old enough to enter junior high, therefore ridding him from the hands of the ones who didn’t want him in their tiny class. With that being given, the people at the school were more likely to welcome him than to call the only local sheriff on call in that tiny village.  
  
With his hands stuffed in his pocket, he scanned the playground, eyes immediately darting towards the larger group of older kids playing tag near the structures, but Chanyeol was never able to spot Kyungsoo, or any kid that even  _resembled_  the little kid for a moment. For a second, he found himself disappointed in that he couldn’t find him, but when he turned his head away from the large crowd and in the direction of sparsely scattered children opposite of where he had focused, he saw Kyungsoo alongside his own nephew.  
  
In a way, it kind of surprised him. From what he heard from his sister and parents, Sehun was a well-socialized child, often playing with others and never truly isolated from others his age, but there he was, on the grass with tiny toy trucks in his hands, far from the others.  
  
All Chanyeol wanted was to be alone, to let his curiosity boil and simmer down, but he was forcibly brought into socialization the moment Sehun raised his head and noticed his uncle standing near the fences. After whispering something to Kyungsoo, the seven year old rose from the ground, grabbing the latter’s hand and pulling him up with him.  
  
Chanyeol had no time to move or walk away, thinking it’d be awkward, not to mention the fact that Sehun would most likely mention him to his mother. Either way, Chanyeol needed to explain what he was doing there in the first place, so he figured he might as well try and build a reason rather than to leave the boy mysteriously hanging.  
  
“Uncle?” Sehun called out, rushing to the fence where Chanyeol lingered hesitantly. Kyungsoo maintained his best in keeping up. “What’re you doing here? It’s not time to go home yet.”  
  
The boy had mistaken his reason for being there. Smiling, Chanyeol leaned against the rickety old faded fence, tilting his head at the two. “I was just taking a walk around this old place. It’s been so long since I’ve been here.”  
  
“Oh.” Sehun blinked before remembering that he had pulled Kyungsoo along with him. Lighting up, he gestured over to the boy. It was apparent that he was more than thrilled to introduce his gift-bearing uncle to a friend. “This is Kyungsoo. He’s my best friend and he practically lives next door!”  
  
“Is that right?” Chanyeol said softly as he turned his eyes to Kyungsoo who stared back at him with gentle, blank eyes. “Your grandparents are Mr. and Mrs. Byun, yes?”  
  
Kyungsoo never had the chance to answer. Not too far away from them, the school teacher on site because calling the kids in, meaning their playtime was over. Not that it mattered, however. Chanyeol had the gut feeling that the boy had no intention of talking to him, let alone answer his question.  
  
Taking the situation as it was, he pursed his lips together and gave the kids a small wave of good-bye. “I guess it’s time to go in, huh?”  
  
Sehun nodded. Tugging on Kyungsoo’s hand once again, the boy cocked his head over to the teacher who was starting to begin roll call. “Come on, Soo.”  
  
Chanyeol watched as they made their way back to the other children, his eyes fixated on Sehun’s friend. There was a feeling inside of him that wanted to know so many things about Kyungsoo. He had questions that needed to be answered, and yet, he was conflicted.  
  
Whoever Kyungsoo was, why did it matter so much to him? If he really was Baekhyun’s son, so what?  
  
He had no right to be curious, and he knew that.  
  
Chanyeol forced himself to look away and start walking once again. It felt like he present in the physical world anymore. He didn’t know where his legs were taking him, but he didn’t fight it. Past all the old buildings and shabby homes, he eventually reached the small sea port where the local fishermen kept their modest boats and the daily catches were sold at the market.  
  
At first glance, it seemed as if it was just another usual day in the village with the older seniors arguing and buying things needed for meals later that night, but just as he was about to turn his attention away and continue his walk, he stopped. Baekhyun’s face stuck out to him as if Chanyeol’s field of vision had suddenly narrowed on the brunet who was speaking with three ladies, negotiating a sale.  
  
Chanyeol stood on higher grounds compared to the market which was located near boat docks. There wasn’t a possibility in the entire world for Baekhyun to see him unless his turned to his left and looked up the pathway to the main path. The musician couldn’t help but stare at his former flame.  
  
When they were younger, Baekhyun had such hopes of attending college, which went against what was usually expected of the youth at the time. Their friends had all wanted to start working as soon as possible in order to help feed their families. Many took on fishing.  
  
Baekhyun had other dreams. He wanted to get away from the rural parts as much as Chanyeol did, and yet… There he was. Selling vegetables in the village he had sworn to leave.  
  
The feeling inside his chest wasn’t pity. Chanyeol didn’t know what it was.  
  
He turned his back and started walking once more, drowning in the smell of the ocean.  
  
-  
  
-  
  
Catching a glimpse of his ex was not as terrifying as his mind convinced him that it’d be. At least, that was how Baekhyun felt when he thought back to the night before. However, maybe it was the cover night that lessened the blow of whatever feelings would’ve ensued if it had been in broad daylight. Part of him was relieved that the man couldn’t see his face properly with only the moonlight and the streetlight to his aid, but at the same time, Baekhyun couldn’t make out his reactions either, and the curiosity was biting at him no less.  
  
Biking past his ex-boyfriend’s house was an ease before he came back. The fact that this time around the sun was still out and barely setting made it more nerve wracking than the night before. There was nothing Baekhyun could do in terms of hiding his face, and even if he did, he knew he’d look slightly stupid and too hard-trying if he were ever to attempt such a thing. Briskly, he swallowed his pride and returned back to reality, biking passively past the Parks’ resident without glancing to see if he was being watched. Usually, he took his time walking up to his parents’ home, but for some reason, Baekhyun’s body wouldn’t allow him to feel at ease. Something seemed off and it had something to do with the neighbors’ son.  
  
Sighing, he kicked the stand down and set the bicycle against the fence before letting himself on the property. It took effort to avoid turning his head in the neighbor’s direction, but Baekhyun managed, successfully knocking on the door. He stood silently, waiting for the door to open. It took longer than usual for his mother to greet him, but the louder Baekhyun could hear her voice, the more he realized that they might’ve had company.  
  
The door opened in the midst of his thoughts, startling Baekhyun for a split second before the face of his mother rendered in his mind. Words didn’t have time to slip past his lips, however. It took no longer than his mother’s greeting for his eyes to notice the figure standing behind her.  
  
The voice of his mother was drowned by the sound of his own heart pounding in his ear and what was only a few seconds felt like an eternity too long. Baekhyun swallowed, noticing how simple yet hard it was to do, especially since he had those dark piercing eyes on him again like they knew something about him that they weren’t supposed to know. When he realized his mother had stopped speaking, he smiled, attempting to cover up the panicked thoughts running across his mind, but he was already aware that his mother knew how he felt.  
  
“Baekhyun.”  
  
Trying his best, Baekhyun nodded in Chanyeol’s direction before moving away from the door to approach him. They stood awkwardly for a moment before Chanyeol offered out a hand, but the formality hurt. Switching into auto-pilot, the brunet sighed and pulled the latter into a hug, brief, but still warm.  
  
“It’s been a long time since I’ve seen you, Chanyeol,” Baekhyun said light-heartedly as he pulled away. Looking up at the giant brought a sense of nostalgia pulling on the strings of feelings that had long passed its due. “How’ve you been?”  
  
“I’ve been fine.” Chanyeol paused, leaving them in blank silence as he stared straight into the brunet’s eyes. Then, sighing, he turned his body half way to gesture to the living room. “I came by to say hi to your parents since it really  _has_  been a while… More like years, actually, but, you know how it was for me.”  
  
Baekhyun understood more than others how Chanyeol’s schedule was, so he couldn’t fault him the lack of visits back home. “I know, but it’s good that you have time to visit now.”  
  
Chuckling, Chanyeol shook his head for a second before looking back at Baekhyun’s face. “Actually, this entire trip vacation wasn’t really my idea.”  
  
Raising his brows, Baekhyun blinked. “No?”  
  
“No. It was Yoora’s.”  
  
“So, you don’t actually want to be here?” Baekhyun said, giving his voice a slightly teasing tone. “I get it. You’d rather be somewhere tropical where it doesn’t look like it’s going to rain every day.”  
  
“You make me sound arrogant.”  
  
“But am I wrong?”  
  
Chanyeol stared for a second before rolling his eyes, exaggerating a sigh as looked off. “You’ve changed a bit, Byun Baekhyun. What happened to the kid who…”  
  
Following where Chanyeol’s eyes were locked to, Baekhyun realized why the giant had trailed off. Carrying a small box filled with food his grandmother had given him, Kyungsoo quietly slipped his fingers in between Baekhyun’s own without saying a single word.  
  
It felt like time had stood still. Chanyeol’s gaze on Kyungsoo never faltered, and Baekhyun could do nothing but hold his son’s hand a little tighter. Taking in a quiet breath, the brunet turned his attention away from his watching ex and knelt down, taking the box from the six year old’s hand.  
  
“Ready to go home?” At Kyungsoo’s nod, Baekhyun grinned. “Okay. We’ll go home soon.”  
  
“Baekhyun,” Chanyeol said in soft voice that still demanded that the brunet look back up at him. And he did. “Who’s this?”  
  
Giving the giant a neutral look, Baekhyun pushed on his knees and stood back up. “I think you already know the answer to that, Chanyeol. I’m almost certain that you’ve figured it out by now… That or someone told you. Either way, it doesn’t matter, really.”  
  
“I didn’t know you got married.”  
  
Baekhyun laughed, knowing all too well how the statement was nothing more than just a wait, but he let his ex have it. “I’m not married, Chanyeol.” When he saw the giant start to ask another question, he added, “I’m not divorced either.”  
  
“I wasn’t going to ask.”  
  
“Right,” Baekhyun replied, giving a quiet snort before turning his eyes down on Kyungsoo. “Have you been introduced to him yet, Soo?”  
  
Chanyeol watched, slightly amused at the way Baekhyun’s tone suddenly changed. He really sounded like...a parent.  
  
Giving a small nod, Kyungsoo responded. Chanyeol’s eyes darted back to the brunet’s face, wondering if the child’s silent response was enough for him. Surprisingly, it was enough.  
  
With a soft exhale of breath, Baekhyun put his hand on the child’s back and raised his eyes back to his ex. “This is Mr. Park. He lives next door. Yoora’s younger brother and Sehun’s uncle.”  
  
Waving slightly awkwardly at the boy, Chanyeol tried his best to appear seemingly friendly. From his experience, he was never great with children. For some reason, kids were always afraid of him unless they were teenagers who listened to his old music or radio show. In that case, then they  _loved_  him, but in that moment, standing in front of Baekhyun’s son, Chanyeol was unsure of himself. It didn’t help that Kyungsoo was completely expressionless, giving him no indication of whether or not he should stop attempting to smile.  
  
Chanyeol held out his hand the second he realized he should’ve said something right after Baekhyun. “Hello...there.” It was a rough beginning. “You don’t have to call me Mr. Park. Chanyeol’s fine. Kyungsoo, right?”  
  
Silence.  
  
Pursing his lips, Chanyeol retracted his hand slowly after being left in the open by the boy who did nothing but stare at it. Looking back at Baekhyun, he quirked his lips into an unsure expression. “Should I be concerned that he’s not talking or…?”  
  
“He’s just  _shy_ , Chanyeol,” Baekhyun replied with a harsh slash in his tone that caught the other man off guard. “There’s nothing wrong with him so, no. You shouldn’t be concerned.”  
  
“I didn’t mean it like that, Baek.”  
  
“Well, if you were insinuating that--”  
  
“I  _wasn’t_ ,” Chanyeol said, quickly cutting him off. “Look, I’m sorry if I offended you. I didn’t mean that.”  
  
There were a lot more things Baekhyun wanted to bring up before he realized that if he opened his mouth one more time, he might just end up using the slip of words that came out of the giant’s mouth as an excuse to unleash six years of frustration...and then some. Deciding to back down, Baekhyun forced his annoyance down a notch. “Apology accepted…” It was almost as though he was accepting it against his own will, but the slight tugging of Kyungsoo’s hand brought him back to reality. “Anyways, I think it’s time for us to go now since it’s pretty late and Kyungsoo still needs a bath. It was nice seeing you again, Chanyeol.”  
  
“Same goes to you, Byun Baek.”  
  
Baekhyun froze for a moment, his eyes caught in Chanyeol’s gaze before he quickly looked away, occupying himself with Kyungsoo. “Ready?” At Kyungsoo’s nod, he turned his head back and his voice for his mother to hear. “We’re going now!”  
  
From the back of the house, his mother’s reply was barely audible. “Alright! See you tomorrow, Kyungsoo!”  
  
“Bye, grandma,” the six year old replied back, though it was questionable whether his grandmother could actually hear him or not.  
  
Chanyeol watched as Baekhyun guided the boy outside before following right after him and shutting the door. He stood in silence for a moment, possible decisions running through his mind before he finally decided to follow in pursuit.  
  
“I’m sorry for abruptly leaving, Mrs. Byun, but I should probably leave now, too,” he said over his shoulder as he reached for the door handle. “I’ll tell my mother you sent her your regards.”  
  
Mrs. Byun’s words barely registered in his head as Chanyeol opened the door and promptly exited the home. Baekhyun and Kyungsoo hadn’t made it too far from the front and within a few long strides, Chanyeol had caught up.  
  
“Listen, before you go, I wanted to apologize again,” Chanyeol began, taking note of the fact that Baekhyun merely glanced at him as he ushered Kyungsoo through the gates. “I didn’t mean to come off as some kind of pushy asshole.”  
  
Baekhyun shook his head. “It’s fine. Really, Chanyeol. I know how you are, so…”  
  
He trailed off, looking as though he was contemplating whether to finish or leave it as it was. In the end, he sighed, grabbing Kyungsoo’s helmet from the bike’s front basket and fastening it on the six year old’s head.  
  
“So…?”  
  
“So I’m not offended. It’s over and done with. Thank you for apologizing. Honestly.” Baekhyun secured the helmet with the sound of a single click. “I meant what I said before, too. It’s good to see you doing well.”  
  
Biting down his tongue, Chanyeol fought down the impulsive urge to ask the brunet about why he was still there, in that  _place_. Instead, he took a second before conceding the situation with a nod. “Alright…I just wanted to make sure that we were good.”  
  
“Don’t worry about it,” Baekhyun said, offering a small smile. “Your mother said you’d be here for two weeks. I guess that means we’ll be seeing each other often, then?”  
  
_I hope so._  
  
Chanyeol gave him a nod. “If you won’t mind seeing me, that is.”  
  
A few seconds of silence lingered for a moment before Baekhyun replied. “I won’t.”  
  
Looking down at the boy between them, Chanyeol touched the top of the worn out helmet with his palm. “Alright. I’ll stop bothering you two now. Stay safe, Kyungsoo. Make sure you hold on to your dad so you don’t fall off.”  
  
Snorting, Baekhyun rolled his eyes as he picked up his son and placed him on the backseat, making sure Kyungsoo knew that he had to stay still in order for his father to get on the bike as well. Chanyeol did his part by holding the end of the bike with a hand, keeping it balanced to the best of his ability. It wasn’t until the brunet was on and Kyungsoo’s arms began clutching onto his father’s shirt that Chanyeol finally let go.  
  
Looking back at the man, Baekhyun nodded as he thanked him for helping. “Good-night, Chanyeol.”  
  
“Good-night, Baekhyun.”  
  
With their farewells said, Baekhyun pushed the bike forward before catching his rhythm and pedaling back home.


	3. Missing Pieces

A single bulb lit the small bathroom, sometimes swinging ever so slightly, affecting the shadows of objects and people, but it was a small detail that Baekhyun never fully committed to addressing.  
  
Squeezing the sponge as he gently rubbed it against Kyungsoo’s back, Baekhyun watched as the boy gave a light push to the floating toy boat near him. More often than not, Kyungsoo would be slightly more talkative during the evening before eventually winding down around his bedtime, but even the questions runnings through his little mind was apparent to Baekhyun.  
  
“I know you have questions, honey… You can ask them if you want,” Baekhyun said softly, eyeing Kyungsoo’s body language with his full attention.  
  
It took some time, but Baekhyun remained patient. Ever so slightly, he felt the six year old’s body tense, as if he was hesitantly to ask a question that was bothering him the most. Then, after Baekhyun called his name, Kyungsoo turned his head to look back behind him, making eye contact with the only parent he had ever known.  
  
“Is he my father?”  
  
The words came right to the point, and Baekhyun could feel a rush of fear run throughout his entire body. There were too many things to explain. His relationship with Chanyeol was complicated and murky, not to mention the fact that the man didn’t know he even had a son and that Baekhyun had kept it a secret all this time.  
  
But it was justified. It wasn’t like Chanyeol was fit to be a parent at the time. He wasn’t even fit to have a stable relationship with anybody…  
  
How could he explain it to the six year old who was staring at him for answers? Baekhyun had always kept the subject of Kyungsoo’s other father at bay and, without questions, the child never prodded questions about it. Maybe he got the sense that his dad had no intentions of ever speaking about his former flame (Kyungsoo  _was_  observant).  
  
For years he had feared this moment, never truly preparing for when it could happen--partially due to stupid ignorance and wishful thinking. It was unrealistic to think that Kyungsoo would never ask or inquire why he only had one parent and not two despite the fact that many of the other children in town had just that. In fact, it was only a matter of time.  
  
Swallowing his pride was the hardest thing to do, even in their situation. Baekhyun took in a deep breath and let it out slowly as he began to answer the question he had long avoided for the past six years.  
  
“Yes…” His voice trailed off and paused for a moment before starting again. “But he doesn’t know that.”  
  
“Why is he here now?”  
  
Baekhyun stopped. It was though Kyungsoo was asking where Chanyeol had been for the last half decade. The feeling in his chest tore at him. “He’s visiting his parents and his sister, Aunt Yoora.”  
  
“Why not us?”  
  
“Because we’re not his family, baby,” Baekhyun said, almost forcing the words out of his mouth. He massaged the sponge on Kyungsoo’s back in a soothing manner. “He’s not...aware of us.”  
  
“But he’s my dad.” Kyungsoo’s voice gave that hint that the six year old felt hurt by what he didn’t understand. He tried to hide it, but being that he was a child, Baekhyun could hear it in his feeble voice.  
  
“Soo, it’s not like that.” Biting his bottom lip, Baekhyun made the decision to stop what he was doing and lift the boy up to turn him around to face him. “He doesn’t know he has a son. It’s not his fault… It’s not yours, either. It’s mine. I never told him about you, because… because your father wasn’t ready at the time. He wasn’t prepared to have a perfect boy like you, and I didn’t want you to grow up with that.”  
  
“Can we tell him now?”  
  
Baekhyun gaped at his son. He had intentions of never saying a word about it to Chanyeol. Despite his parents knowing the truth and Mrs. Park yearning for her son to know about the grandson she loved from afar, Baekhyun was terrified of the possibility of abandonment.  
  
What if Chanyeol was to find out and he  _was_  a good father? Kyungsoo would likely get attached, and it’d be harmless until the day the giant would have to go back to the city to focus on his own life, his own career… Both of which didn’t involve Kyungsoo or the responsibilities of having to take care of a child. And then what? The six year old would become heartbroken after being left behind once again, and Baekhyun couldn’t bear that thought of that.  _He_  knew what it felt like to be left behind, especially by Chanyeol. The feelings of anger and heartache haunted him for years before he finally moved on. Was it selfish to protect Kyungsoo from the pain that came with having a father that had the ability to disappear from his life without a single word?  
  
Shaking his head slowly, Baekhyun was weighted down with the feeling of guilt. “No, we can’t, because he’s still not prepared… I don’t know how he feels about having us.”  
  
“What about someday?”  
  
“Well…” Baekhyun wasn’t sure when exactly  _someday_  was or if he’d actually get the guts to tell Chanyeol about it, but a small promise was all he could do. “Yeah… Maybe one day...”  
  
-  
  
-  
  
It seemed like another ordinary day, but Baekhyun knew that it honestly wasn’t. Not a day had gone by since Chanyeol arrived that the locals weren’t talking and whispering about him. He was the hottest gossip circulating, and it wasn’t to anybody’s surprise. They always spoke about him like he was one of the lucky ones. Very few people left the town and actually made it. Generally, the outside world seemed to entice the young and spit them back out. Chanyeol was the exception.  
  
A famous musician visiting his old hometown was bound to garner a lot of attention, and he should’ve expected that even where he worked was no safe haven from running into his ex. As Baekhyun was finalizing a sale to a father of one of Kyungsoo’s classmates when he began to take notice of the murmuring buzzing around him, especially with the elderly ladies down the market. After locking the money away, he looked up to question what what going on and almost immediately regretted it the second he locked his eyes on Chanyeol’s tall figure.  
  
His ex had stopped over at a stand that was a few feet down, inspecting the fish inventory while simultaneously being amused by the seller who seemed so blessed to have such a man as a customer. Baekhyun wasn’t aware that he was frozen in his place until he felt a hand touch him on the shoulder.  
  
“So, it’s true. He is back…”  
  
Stiffly, Baekhyun nodded. “It feels a bit weird… More weird now that things aren’t exactly...ideal.”  
  
Jongin, his co-worker who helped with transporting the goods to the stand, agreed, nodding before turning his eyes to Baekhyun. “Want me to take over for now?”  
  
It was tempting to disappear through the back flaps of the market stand, but Baekhyun ultimately declined. “I’ll be alright. We already bumped into each other the other evening, so I think I can handle another run in.”  
  
“If you say so,” Jongin conceded, taking a step back. “I’ll be here if you need me. I just have to do a small favor for Ms. Kang and carry over some things for her.”  
  
Taking his attention off of Chanyeol, Baekhyun looked at Jongin with grateful eyes. “Thank you for offering, Jongin.”  
  
“Anything for you, Baek…” Jongin pursed his lips before turning around and making an exit.  
  
Inhaling slowly, Baekhyun attempted to rid his mind of the distraction that Chanyeol was and greeted an elderly man making his way to the stand. Recognizing him to be a grandparent to one of Kyungsoo’s few friends, the brunet was quick to smile.  
  
“Mr. Nham! Good afternoon!”  
  
Chuckling with a rough voice, the old man nodded towards the fresh vegetables. “I need some lettuce today, Baekhyun...The Mrs. is planning on making a dish today to give to the Parks.”  
  
“Oh… What for?” Baekhyun asked, careful to not sound too intrusive as he reache for a plastic bag.  
  
“Well…” Looking behind him, Mr. Nham took one look at Chanyeol, who was still surrounded by a fair amount of people. “She said it was to welcome back Chanyeol over there. I suppose I could say hello, but I’ll probably have the opportunity later when we drop it off.”  
  
“He’s popular around here, isn’t he?” Baekhyun commented, packing one lettuce body into the bag before tying the knot.  
  
“He’s been gone for a long time. That’s probably why everyone’s so excited to see him,” Mr. Nham said as he opened his wallet. “I hear he’s famous with that music he used to play around here a long time ago. That’s what I’ve heard.”  
  
Shrugging, Baekhyun held out the bag in exchange for the money. “I don’t know about that. I haven’t been keeping up with all that stuff. Kyungsoo’s too much of a handful.”  
  
“Alright, well thank you, Baekhyun. Take care of that boy of yours.”  
  
“Will do, sir.” Waving him off, Baekhyun let out a breath. Glancing to his right, Chanyeol seemed to be finishing with his business.  
  
Perhaps it was out of embarrassment that Baekhyun suddenly couldn’t face outwards. He turned his body, back facing the market, and grabbed the first thing that he saw which was an broom with its hairs sticking in all direction. There was nothing to sweep nor clean, but it kept his head and face down, shielding it from Chanyeol’s direction.  
  
Inside, he hoped that this gimmick would work, though part of him wished it didn’t. There was still something exciting about Chanyeol and being around him that aroused his character, but those were all feelings of the past that were attempting to resurface and the person he was in that moment wouldn’t allow it.  
  
Despite the doubt that lingered, the voices of the few women and children who were following Chanyeol gradually moved on. Once he got the courage to do so, Baekhyun looked back up, turned around, and saw that Chanyeol had gone past his stand.  
  
-  
  
-  
  
_What’s it like working with famous people?  
  
Can I have your autograph?  
  
Chanyeol, are you single?  
  
You should start looking to settle down! I have a daughter that you should meet!_  
  
All his mother had given him was a list of things that she needed from the market. Having people practically follow him through his entire trip wasn’t one of the things that he anticipated. Though he had been through worse with his  _actual_  fans throughout his career, he was beginning to like the idea of being unnoticed and undisturbed for once while he was on vacation. Of course, what happened at the market was a bit of a let down.  
  
Arriving at home, Chanyeol found himself alone. His father was out, surveying the rice seeds that were almost ready to be planted, and his mother was elsewhere. He didn’t know where exactly, but he didn’t question it. Around there, it wasn’t so unusual for residents to visit one another for no special reason.  
  
After washing and putting away the vegetables and fish, Chanyeol contemplated going back to his room or doing something  _else_. He didn’t have any idea what the alternative was, but there wasn’t much appeal to his bedroom anyhow.  
  
It was only his third day there… Was it his third? He could barely remember. It seemed like the old town by the sea took any sense of time away with the tides.  
  
Chanyeol walked up the stairs and opened the creaky door to his bedroom with the sole purpose of retrieving his cell phone. He didn’t have much use for the thing since internet seemed to be nonexistent and the signals were so weak that they would often disappear often. Rather than be frustrated, he just left it alone.  
  
Despite the awful connectivity, Chanyeol pocketed the device.  
  
-  
  
-  
  
Back in the day, The Shack was the prime place to be when not in school. To Chanyeol’s surprise, the place was actually still there--granted a little rundown. The signs were faded and old posters pasted on the outside walls of the establishment were tearin g due to age, and yet. Without hesitating, Chanyeol entered through the doors, hearing the rustic bell ring upon his entrance.  
  
The interior changed quite a bit, but the overall structure was the same. The storekeeper was somewhere in the back (Chanyeol could hear the fumbling of boxes), so Chanyeol made his way around the store.  
  
He felt oddly as though he was back in high school with nothing but a few coins in his back pocket. It was most likely the nostalgia, but the feeling was hard to shake off.  
  
As he was drifting his fingers along the snack aisle, the bell rang again as the store front door swung open. Initially, Chanyeol paid no mind to it as he continued on with his own business, but when he heard his name being called, his ears perked. Looking behind him, he saw a familiar face making their way over to him.  
  
It didn’t take long for him to recognize the individual as excitement rushed through him. “Yixing! Is that you?”  
  
“Yeah! Can’t believe you still recognized me!”  
  
Chanyeol was quick to give his friend a hug, one that was as tight as he used to give back in high school. As a while, he let go, both having a fit of laughter as the old gesture.  
  
Once the laughter finally receded, Chanyeol asked, “What’re you doing here?”  
  
“I wanted to stop buy and buy something to drink. I’m on my lunch break right now, actually.” Yixing’s smile never wavered. “But I didn’t think I’d run into you here.”  
  
“It’s a small town,” Chanyeol said, giving a shrug. “Not much to see or do.”  
  
“Yeah, well, this old place never really had a lot to offer,” Yixing agreed. “So, how’ve you been? I used to keep up with you over the news and what-not, but life at home’s been getting kind of busy. I’m always working.”  
  
“I’ve been doing okay for myself,” Chanyeol answered, running a hand through his hair. “I’ve been radio hosting for a while now, but I think an album might be on my list for the new year.”  
  
“I still can’t believe you’re famous now… It almost seems like it was just yesterday that you and Baekhyun left for Seoul after all those years of just  _talking_  about being a musician.”  
  
“Right…” Chanyeol almost forgot about those years and how he spent so much of his time playing his guitar, talking Baekhyun’s ear off about lyrics… The brunet never cared much about music, but he put up with it, nodding along and listening to whatever he was requested to listen to. If anything, music wasn’t the thing that kept Baekhyun around as much as it was their relationship.  
  
Yixing sighed. “I’m so happy for you, though. You’ve worked hard to get where you are right now… For a while, I thought you were going to come home, too, after Baekhyun came back in less than a year. I thought that…”  
  
“Thought what?”  
  
“Well… It doesn’t matter now. I guess you two just went your separate ways--ah, I’m sorry. I don’t know why I’m saying all of this. It’s none of my business.” Waving his hands in front of him, Yixing changed the subject. “Anyways, it was nice seeing you. I’d stay more to talk, but my break’s almost over and I have to get back.”  
  
“Yeah, but hey, we could get together sometime if you want,” Chanyeol genuinely offered, though his mind was still hung up on the mention of Baekhyun.  
  
“You know what? Yeah, that sounds really nice,” Yixing grinned. “What about tomorrow night? Is that good for you? I can ask around, maybe get the other boys in on it.”  
  
“That’d be great! I haven’t really seen anyone else since I’ve been here. I’ve seen Baekhyun, but that’s about it.”  
  
“Oh, yeah! Baekhyun works at the market in case you wanted to say hi. He’ll give you a really good deal on those tomatoes if you ask him.”  
  
Chuckling, Chanyeol put a hand on Yixing’s shoulder. “I don’t think he wants to see me during broad daylight, but thanks for the hint. I might try it one of these days.”  
  
“Well, I really have to go now, but it was nice seeing you!” Yixing gave a hearty pat on Chanyeol’s back before walking over to the refrigerated aisle and getting two bottles of water. The old storekeeper came out from the back as soon as Yixing reached the front and pulled out his wallet. “See you tomorrow night!”  
  
Grinning, Chanyeol waved good-bye as Yixing left before grabbing a random snack off the shelf and paying for it.  
  
-  
  
-  
  
The sun was beginning to set, and by the norm, Baekhyun was usually the one closing the stand and making sure every product was securely put away. Theft rarely happened around there, being that everyone was so close and friendly with one another, but precautions were still taken even to the extent of putting the goods in a locked up shed for the night.  
  
With only one light bulb hanging above his head, it made it hard to see very clearly. The market was lit up by a street lamp or two, but it was still dim. Not many people came around during the evening unless something was happening, which was rare as well.  
  
It was nearing six o’clock when Baekhyun began the transition of leaving the stand and all of its responsibilities over to Jongin. Taking off the old apron, he smiled as his co-worker entered through the back.  
  
“Right on time,” Baekhyun said, greeting the latter. He hung the apron on a hook to his left. “Need me to do anything before I go?”  
  
“It’s alright. You can go home and take care of Kyungsoo,” Jongin said, giving the brunet a warm smile. “I’ll do the rest around here.”  
  
“If you’re sure, then alright.” Taking off his rubber gloves, Baekhyun nodded over to something behind Jongin. “By the way, Mr. Lee left some product over there in that corner for you and me to take home.”  
  
“Oh?” Jongin turned his head. “I see… He’s too kind sometimes. I wonder how he even makes profit.”  
  
“Well, you know he sells things in the next town over, too.” Baekhyun put the gloves away in a plastic box compartment. Once he finished pushing the box back where it belonged, he turned his body to face Jongin. “So, I guess I’ll see you tomorrow.”  
  
“Yeah--oh, wait! Baek, hold on.” Jongin reached out and grabbed the brunet by his wrist just as he was passing him. “Yixing wanted me to tell you about something that’s going on tomorrow. He’s inviting the old high school gang for a little get-together so he told me to invite you, too.”  
  
Baekhyun paused, hesitant on accepting the invite. It didn’t seem out of the ordinary until he realized that Chanyeol would most likely be there. His mixed feelings came across his face in such an obvious fashion that Jongin gave a small grin as he let go.  
  
“If you don’t want to, then it’s fine--”  
  
“No, no,” Baekhyun suddenly interrupted, shaking his head. “It’s not that I don’t, because… I mean, it really has been a long time since we’ve all seen Chanyeol and I don’t mind being around him.  _Really_... But I have Kyungsoo to look after. I would get my mother to watch after him, but he spends so much time with her already that I just feel bad at the thought of leaving him there even more.”  
  
Understanding, Jongin nodded. “No, yeah. I get it. I’ll just tell Yixing that you’re busy. Besides, Chanyeol’s your neighbor, so you probably see him around a few times.”  
  
Baekhyun didn’t bother correcting the man that he and Chanyeol weren’t neighbors at all, though technically, they were because of the fact that they grew up next door to each other… Sighing, he gently touched Jongin’s arm. “Thank you for the invite, though. I’ll see what I can do to make up for it.”  
  
“Ah, no, you don’t have to do that. It’s perfectly okay--”  
  
Jongin was cut off by the sound of someone knocking on wood. The two of them both turned their heads towards the front of the stand, caught of guard. It was Jongin who recovered first, leaving Baekhyun's side to attend to the individual waving at them.  
  
“Chanyeol! Hey! Good to see you!” Jongin shook the giant’s hand, clearly unsure of whether or not a hug was permitted, but Chanyeol took the initiative anyways. “What brings you here?”  
  
Baekhyun slowly approached the front, eyes steady on Chanyeol who didn’t hide the fact that he was making small glances towards his way. Distracting himself, the brunet reached over and ripped a plastic bag from the side hook.  
  
“I need some lettuce and tomatoes,” Chanyeol answered, looking down at the wooden crates to inspect the produce available to his picking. “I was actually here earlier today, but I forgot to buy some.”  
  
“Got distracted by your local fans?” Jongin joked, folding his arms.  
  
Shrugging, Chanyeol grinned as his eyes traced back to Baekhyun. “My mother only needs about a pound or two… Actually, I don’t really know. Two to be safe. I dont know much about cooking so...”  
  
“Got it.”  
  
Before Chanyeol could say anything else, Jongin asked, “When are you going back?”  
  
“Uh, Sunday? The weekend after the next.”  
  
“Ah… So you’re not even really staying that long.”  
  
“No, I wanted to get back to work as fast as I could,” Chanyeol told him, reaching in his pocket of the money to give to Baekhyun. “I’m really busy, actually. I don’t have time for anything outside of work.”  
  
With pursed lips, Baekhyun handed over the produce in exchange for the money. “How’s radio hosting?”  
  
The question came as a surprise to Chanyeol who raised a brow. Cocking his head, he smiled. “You know I’ve been hosting the radio lately?”  
  
Baekhyun shrugged as if to say nothing more of it. “Sometimes I tune in when everything else is pretty much static.”  
  
“And how often is everything static?” Chanyeol asked, his eyes determined to keep contact with Baekhyun’s. “Every night?”  
  
Scoffing, Baekhyun couldn’t help but give a small smile. “ _No_... Maybe once or twice a month, but--”  
  
“Liar,” Chanyeol teased. Before the brunet could retaliate, he asked, “Are you done with work now?”  
  
Taken aback, it took Baekhyun a second to answer. “Yeah, actually, but--”  
  
“Great.” To Jongin, Chanyeol offered him a few bills. “Don’t say anything. Just take it. Think of it as a thank you for dealing with me all those years.”  
  
“Chanyeol, this isn’t--”  
  
Then, with his attention fixated on Baekhyun, Chanyeol nodded his head in a direction going out from the stand. “Let’s go home.”  
  
_Let’s go home_... Words that were so familiar, yet distant. It echoed of nostalgia and rang in Baekhyun’s ears, shaking him. Old feelings were being triggered out of their dormant state, but he wouldn’t dare allow it.  
  
Yet, he gave an inch of allowance to the indulgence that he craved of those buried feelings. With an intake of breath and a clear understanding that any time spent with Chanyeol was nothing more than just another step on the road of disappointment (again), Baekhyun nodded.  
  
“Wait for me at the end. I have to get my bike, but I’ll walk with you.”


	4. By Day's End

The walk wasn’t as intimidating or unbearable as Baekhyun initially thought that it’d be. It just felt like how it once was. The contradicting cool ocean breeze and the setting sun that showered them in its warm, golden rays somehow complemented one another in making the walk seemingly peaceful. Baekhyun had no complaints.  
  
Chanyeol broke the silence by asking a question. It seemed inaudible at first, but Baekhyun soon realized that it was due to the fact that his mind was so preoccupied with other things that he was beginning to tune things out.  
  
Giving the giant an apologetic look, Baekhyun waved a hand. “Ah--I’m sorry. Could you repeat your question?”  
  
“I asked if you had any plans tonight.” Grinning at the shorter male, Chanyeol rubbed the back of his neck. “If not, do you want to come and eat dinner with my family? You know, like the good old days.”  
  
Laughing, Baekhyun politely rejected. “Thanks, but no thank you.”  
  
“And why not?” Chanyeol asked, tilting his head. “Mother’s making spicy fish soup. Your favorite.”  
  
“It’s fine, Chanyeol,” the brunet said again. “I just feel like it isn’t appropriate.”  
  
Raising a brow, Chanyeol blinked. “Family dinner between friends? What’s not appropriate about that? I get that we used to date, Baek, but it’s really nothing--”  
  
“Exactly. It’s nothing-- _we’re_  nothing. I just… I don’t know, Chanyeol. Somehow, it feels weird to me.” Baekhyun paused for a second before he took one look at the giant’s face and knew that he needed to explain a bit more. “Don’t take this the wrong way. I want to catch up with you and know how you’re doing, but...acting like we’re actually still close is just kind of...unusual.”  
  
“No, I get that. I don’t know. Maybe I just wanted an excuse to talk to you, like you said.” Chanyeol sighed, frowning. “I’m probably being a little too forward.”  
  
“Yeah… Plus we didn’t exactly end things between us very nicely either,” Baekhyun added quietly, his hands gripping the handlebars of his bike tightly. “But that’s the past. I’m okay with moving forward, just not this fast and casual.”  
  
“Right, right…” Chanyeol mumbled. However, he sounded distracted. Unable to ignore the urge to confront the topic that was bothering him, he turned his head and looked straight at the brunet beside him. “About that… I’ve been wondering about this for years--well, not really  _years_. I don’t want to make it seem like I’m still haunted over this, but we didn’t actually break up, right? You just left in the middle of the night and never contacted me again.”  
  
Baekhyun halted, stopping in his tracks as he gaped at Chanyeol. “What?”  
  
“I didn’t mean it in that way,” Chanyeol said, quick to defend himself. “I’m not trying to make myself look like some kind of victim. This happened over seven years ago.”  
  
“I know, but what’s your point?” Baekhyun asked, his gaze locking with the giant’s. “Yeah, we didn’t actually sit down and talk it out… I didn’t want to and you...you  _couldn’t_. There was no point in talking back then, Yeol. Even you should know that.”  
  
“I’m really not trying to dig up any bad feelings, Baek,” Chanyeol said adamantly. Oddly enough, Baekhyun felt he was being genuine and relaxed. “I just want to know why you did that. All these years, I kind of felt like I needed some kind of explanation.”  
  
Biting his bottom lip, Baekhyun asked, “What kind of explanation would satisfy you, then?”  
  
“I barely have any recollection of that night… I want to know why you never, in the very least, properly broke up with me… Why did you just leave in the middle of the night after we made love?”  
  
The recollection of that night was enough to bring about a heavy feeling in Baekhyun’s chest. It was something he refused to talk about or mention. For the last seven years, that night was his only kept secret, and yet, the look in Chanyeol’s eyes was enough to coax the truth out of Baekhyun’s lips.  
  
“Is that how you remember that night, Yeol?” he asked softly, bearing no grudge or anger in his voice. Only, perhaps, sadness.  
  
Chanyeol was hesitant, but he nodded anyhow. He gave a hard sigh as his fingers ran through his dark, messy hair. “I knew I wasn’t treating you right around that time. You probably deserved better, but for years, I was already kind of mad at you because of how you left. I don’t know. My early twenties was a blurry mess.”  
  
Pursing his lips, Baekhyun could just  _feel_  how breathing was somehow becoming more and more difficult. His eyes never left Chanyeol as he spoke with a voice that tried so hard to remain steady.  
  
“Earlier that night,” Baekhyun started softly, “I came home from the diner. I had a late shift, but my boss let me off early… For a good minute, I felt happy because I knew that you didn’t have a schedule with that...manager of yours.”  
  
God, how he had  _hated_  Chanyeol’s former manager. Granted he got the nineteen year old the fame and music career that he had been dreaming of since he could learn how to play the guitar, but Baekhyun knew that he was the root of all of Chanyeol’s personal problems from there on.  
  
Shaking away thoughts of that disgusting man, Baekhyun continued on. “I went back to our apartment expecting, I don’t know. A quiet night together, maybe? But, looking back now, you and I both know that I was better off praying for rain in the desert… What? What’s with that look on your face?”  
  
“My face?” Chanyeol looked as if he was put on the spot at a time when he least expected it. “Nothing. I’m just trying to see if I remember anything that then--”  
  
“No, I don’t think you will,” Baekhyun said, offering a small smile. “You weren’t yourself that night. As usual.”  
  
Chanyeol could feel the dryness in his throat. Without a doubt, he was excessive at the start of his career. Often drinking and getting drunk with no thought about the consequences. With his newfound freedom came the neglect that Baekhyun endured. Even in his wayward, drunken mind, Chanyeol was somehow aware of the situation, yet he never addressed it. He felt better pushing his guilty feelings aside rather than to deal with them properly. However, it all proved to be detrimental in the end.  
  
“I walked in the apartment and I knew that something was wrong… I heard noises and I saw pieces of clothing scattered around.” Baekhyun stopped. For the first time, he dropped his gaze and focused on the ground. “It honestly didn’t take more to convince me that you had brought someone back home with you to  _our_  apartment, having sex with them on  _our_  bed.”  
  
“Baek...”  
  
“Honestly, though,” the brunet said, cutting him off, “I wasn’t as hurt as I probably should’ve been. Maybe it was because I kind of already knew that you were probably cheating on me whenever you went out with your friends or you were at some party your manager wanted you to go to. I think the thing that hurt me the most was the fact that this time, it was in our home, our bed.”  
  
Chanyeol stayed silent. He didn’t try to defend himself. There was nothing to defend. All of it was true. Despite the hazy state that he always seemed to be in during those times, there was a part of him that was subconsciously aware of all the decisions that he made and the lack of care Baekhyun received.  
  
The transition from being a nobody to a full blown mega-star with the power and money to do anything that he could ever  _want_  was overwhelming. Alcohol seemed like his best friend at the time, helping him make new friends and new connections at every party he attended. It was the gateway to everything from a good buzz all the way to a good fuck. It helped him fit in, be one of the guys… It never occurred to him back then that while he was lavishing in his newfound power and friends, Baekhyun had to slowly watch the boy that he loved slowly disappear with every swing of the bottle.  
  
“I’m sorry I put you through that,” Chanyeol said slowly. He reached over and gently raised the brunet’s chin upwards. “Believe me when I say that I really don’t remember that night… At least, not in this detail, Baek. I’m  _so_  sorry--”  
  
Shaking his head, Baekhyun smiled softly as he reached up and gently grabbed Chanyeol’s hand. “It’s fine. I really don’t--”  
  
“It’s not fine, Baekhyun.”  
  
“I know, but it’s in the past. I forgave you a long time ago.” Giving Chanyeol’s hand a slight squeeze, Baekhyun sighed. “Anyways, the answer to your question about why I left in the middle of the night is because I knew that if you had the chance to try and convince me to stay, then I would’ve stayed. I wasn’t brave, Yeol. That’s why I never asked you if you were cheating on me. I couldn’t confront you because I was scared of the truth even though in the back of my mind, I already knew the answer.”  
  
Dryly laughing, Chanyeol clenched his jaw as he looked up at the sky. “Even though this is a fucked up kind of situation, I’m, at least, at peace knowing why you left… And I don’t blame you for leaving. I never did… I just simply wanted to hear what made you finally leave my stupid and immature ass.”  
  
Sympathetically, Baekhyun rubbed Chanyeol’s hand between both of his own. “Like I said, I’ve forgiven all of that. I mean, not too long after, I found out I was going to have Kyungsoo, and, to be honest, holding grudges and being angry about you became the last thing on my mind even if thoughts of  _you_  still lingered here and there.”  
  
“And by that, you mean old memories of me, right?” Chanyeol asked, watching as Baekhyun eventually let his hand go, leaving behind the drifting feeling of warmth. “Before you and I left for Seoul?”  
  
“In a way? Yeah,” Baekhyun admitted. “We were just a bunch of stupid country boys who had no idea what the world outside these tiny ship ports had in store for us.... I don’t think either of us were ready.”  
  
“Especially me,” Chanyeol said, adding a bit of dark humor that he didn’t expect the brunet to take kindly to, but was rather surprised when he did.  
  
Snorting, Baekhyun rolled his eyes at him. “No doubt about it there,” he agreed. “I already forgave you and you just apologized to me. A lot of people probably wouldn’t think that’s enough after all you put me through, but it’s enough for me, and that’s all that matter’s.”  
  
Chanyeol pursed his lips, staring at Baekhyun as a whole. “Honestly, how’d you mature so well?”  
  
Baekhyun shrugged. “I had to grow up if I was going to raise Kyungsoo.”  
  
“Oh… Right.” Chanyeol turned his attention to the ground and suddenly realized that they hadn’t taken a step since they began talking about the past. “We should probably get going. The sun’s not waiting for us”  
  
Baekhyun turned his head, looking at the the way the setting sun was reflecting its dying rays above the vast sea. “Even the sun got tired of waiting for us to finish talking…” he muttered under his breath before pushing his bike forward once again. “Kyungsoo’s probably going to be surprised that I’m picking him up on time. Usually, I run a bit late after running last minute errands and favors.”  
  
The change of subject somehow lifted up the heavy atmosphere that was once present, at least, in Chanyeol’s opinion. With his mood lightening up, he kept pace with the brunet, looking forward along the pathway. “Do you always leave your son with your parents?”  
  
“Yes--well, not always,” Baekhyun said, correcting himself. “Sometimes, I leave him with your parents.”  
  
“ _My_  parents?” Chanyeol glanced at him. “Why?”  
  
“There are times when my parents have to be out of town for the day. Most of the time, it’s to go to the clinic in the nearest city for health reasons,” the brunet told him. “Your mother offers because she’s fond of Kyungsoo… If anything, Kyungsoo practically considers her his second grandmother.”  
  
Chanyeol stayed quiet for a moment, absorbing the information before asking, “What about his father? Why doesn’t he help you with raising Kyungsoo?”  
  
Just as the question was asked, the giant could tell that he had struck some kind of sensitive nerve. Baekhyun was visibly uncomfortable, though he tried his best to appear fine. However, the way his eyes seemed to widen in the slightest was enough to alert Chanyeol.  
  
“He’s not part of our lives.” The answer was so simple, and yet, Chanyeol knew there was more beneath the surface that Baekhyun was showing. “I mean, I don’t even know who he is, so that would make contacting him a little difficult, don’t you think?”  
  
Chanyeol couldn’t believe the words that were coming out of Baekhyun’s mouth. He looked down at the brunet who glanced over without a care for the apparent shock that was written all over the giant’s face.  
  
To ask why his ex didn’t know who the father of his child was seemed rude and direct. Chanyeol wanted to ask despite the fact that he knew he would be digging his nose into business that wasn’t his in the first place.  
  
Baekhyun relieved him of any burden that the unasked question was placing on Chanyeol’s shoulders as he quirked his lips and looked away, eyes focusing on the two houses standing next to each other off in the distance. “You weren’t the only one who was a mess after I left Seoul… I had a minor phase in my life where I made a couple of shitty decisions, too. Having a one night stand with some guy I met in a bar was just one of them.”  
  
-  
  
-  
  
Chanyeol watched as Baekhyun hugged Kyungsoo on the porch of his parents’ house as he stood by the gates that led to his own. The boy said something to his dad as the two conversed before his big eyes looked over and made contact with Chanyeol. It was then that he paused, his small hand grabbing Baekhyun by the arm before looking away.  
  
Then for whatever reason, Baekhyun turned his face just enough to look in Chanyeol’s direction. The sun was gone with the world around them too dark for him to fully see the brunet’s face and decipher the sympathetic look encrypted in his eyes.  
  
Forcing himself to leave the lingering feelings of curiosity behind, Chanyeol raised his hand and waved the two good-bye as he entered through the gates of his childhood home.  
  
-  
  
-  
  
_“The station’s not the same without you! The boss has been on my ass lately to try and get the audience numbers up, but what can I do? Your following’s better than mine!”_  
  
The connection was poor as hell and half the time, leaving nothing but static melted in with Jongdae’s voice.  
  
Sighing, Chanyeol poorly attempted to close the curtains to his window. It was windy and raining, and quite frankly, the insulation in his room was never great, leaving him a little chilly. “Shut up. I’ll be back in a week and a half. Things can’t be that bad.”  
  
_“You’re right. It’s not. Maybe I just miss you--Oh, and your assistants, too. They miss you a lot more than I do, if you know what I mean.”_  
  
Chanyeol rolled his eyes. “Remind me to fire them after I get back.”  
  
_“Too clingy for you already?”_  
  
“Hn.”  
  
_“Well, it wouldn’t be the first time.”_  Jongdae laughed. _“You go through more assistants in three months than most celebrities I know. Maybe you should stop sleeping with them.”_  
  
Scoffing, Chanyeol walked over to his bedside table, curious as to what he left behind years ago that he had forgotten about until that moment. “As if I do,” he muttered. “Is my fault they get too infatuated?”  
  
_“No, but it is your fault for hiring them more for their looks than for their actual qualifications.”_  
  
“If they’re going to be in public with me, they should at least look nice,” Chanyeol replied, making a face of disgust at the amount of dust that had collected in the drawer. “Anyways, reception here is pretty bad so my emails haven’t been loading. Can you check later to see if I got anything from my management? Or anything important, to be honest.”  
  
_“Sure thing.”_  
  
“Okay. Listen, I’ll talk to you later. This storm’s not really helping this call. You’re still picking me up from the station when I’m coming back, right?”  
  
_“Yep. Wouldn’t miss it for the world.”_  
  
“Fuck off,” Chanyeol said, chuckling. “Alright. Bye.”  
  
_“See ya.”_  
  
Ending the call, Chanyeol set his cell phone on the surface of the side table as his other hand reached down the bottom drawer and pulled out something that caught his attention.  
  
An old year book.


	5. Crashing Waves

The conflict raging in Baekhyun’s mind was enough to kill him if it could. Pride was a hard thing to swallow, and despite having so little left after years of accepting the fact that he had to put himself aside in order to raise Kyungsoo, Baekhyun was subconsciously protecting it like a second child.  
  
He couldn’t believe himself when he looked in the mirror after work ended. Inside, he  _knew_  that he wanted to go to Yixing’s little get-together. On one hand, things were a bit better with Chanyeol. The giant had nothing to be suspicious about. Hell, he thought that Kyungsoo was the product of a one night stand he had after their break-up. Surprisingly, Chanyeol seemed a bit taken back by the news, as if he was washed over by regret… But what did Baekhyun know? He couldn’t read people’s minds. With all of that being said, it was safe to mingle with his ex--at least, that’s what it felt like. It meant nothing and he had not intention of ever reigniting what died years ago.  
  
However, on the  _other_  hand, it felt really selfish to do so. Leaving Kyungsoo behind so he could go off and spend time with his friends? It sounded so trivial. Most parents would jump at the chance to do so, but, in the end, Baekhyun couldn’t allow himself to go.  
  
Their small house was quiet. The sound of the radio playing in the background wasn’t enough to distract Baekhyun at all. He walked out of his bedroom to poke his head in Kyungsoo’s room where the boy was coloring pictures of animals. Maybe it was homework or perhaps it was simply for recreational purposes. Baekhyun didn’t question it.  
  
He removed himself from the room and sat in the middle of the dining room, putting his head on the small floor round table. Sighing out of pure exhaustion, he closed his eyes. For a minute, he thought he might’ve been able to actually drift off and sleepy in that uncomfortable position, but any possibility of that happening was put away when he heard knocking in the direction of the front door.  
  
As far as he knew, he wasn’t expecting anyone. Nobody usually came around his place that late unless it was his mother, but she would’ve given him the notice before stopping by unexpectedly. Unlocking the locks, Baekhyun pulled the door open, surprised to see Yixing and Jongin. It took a second for him to realize that it wasn’t only them that were present. Behind them, Chanyeol stood by. When they made eye contact, the giant shrugged.  
  
“What’re you guys doing here?” Baekhyun asked slowly, eyeing the two eager men in front of him.  
  
“We decided that it wouldn’t be the same without you--and well, Minseok, but we thought we’d go get him after you,” Yixing said, stuffing his hands in his front pockets. “I know you said no when Jongin asked, but--”  
  
“You guys, this is really nice of you,” Baekhyun said, interrupting, “but I can’t. I have Kyungsoo and I have to put him to bed. Not to mention--”  
  
“You can bring Kyungsoo. We’re just going to go start a bonfire at the beach. Nothing too crazy,” Yixing appealed.  
  
Baekhyun sighed, looking back behind him only to be surprised that Kyungsoo was hiding behind the archway to his bedroom. He froze, unsure of what to do. Before he could say anything, Kyungsoo beat him to it.  
  
“I want to go.”  
  
As if he wasn’t already in a predicament with himself as a person, but now he was at a cross road given his parental responsibilities. Trying to persuade the six year old otherwise, Baekhyun gave him an apologetic look. “You have school tomorrow, Soo. Remember?”  
  
“It’s only seven, Baek,” Jongin added, giving a wave to Kyungsoo. “Give it an hour. Two at most.”  
  
“I--”  
  
“It wouldn’t be the same without you.”  
  
Baekhyun’s eyes flickered over in Chanyeol’s direction. Catching his gaze, the brunet could see where Kyungsoo got his beautiful eyes from. Gripping the door handle, Baekhyun conceded and sighed. “Fine. An  _hour_ \--and that includes walking over to Minseok’s place and walking back.”  
  
“Fine, fine,” Yixing said as he gave a slight shiver. “Might wanna bundle up a bit. It’s chilly.”  
  
“Right... “ Baekhyun mumbled before realizing how all three of the men were standing outside his door, exposed to the elements. “You guys should come in while I dress Kyungsoo. It shouldn’t take too long.”  
  
Nodding, Yixing motioned for Jongin and Chanyeol to follow him in as Baekhyun stepped aside. The brunet smiled at them despite being slightly unsure of any of the decisions he was making that night. On his way in, Chanyeol mouthed  _sorry_ , perhaps alluding to the situation. Responding, Baekhyun offered a shrug as he closed the door behind the giant.  
  
“Make yourselves at home. I’ll try to not take up too much time.”  
  
Making his exit from the living room area, Baekhyun scooped Kyungsoo up before closing the sliding door behind the both of them, leaving his guests to settle in his small living area. As soon as he set the little boy down on his bed, he could already read the questions flashing across the six year old’s dark, brown eyes. A surge of guilt washed over Baekhyun’s entire existence as he fought against the crashing waves with everything that he had as he knelt down to give Kyungsoo a kiss on the forehead before turning his back to lay out some warm clothes.  
  
-  
  
-  
  
During the day, the weather was often gloomy and cold. When the sun disappeared, it was no exception.  
  
Just as Baekhyun expected, Kyungsoo tired himself out from the walk, even before they reached the bonfire area that Yixing had intended to use. Within the first hour, the boy was nodding off as he played with the charred wood in the pit using a long, skinny stick he had found along the road.  
  
Baekhyun held the sleeping boy on his lap, cradling him as he slept comfortably in his dad’s arms. Maybe he felt more focused on keeping the boy comfortable than joining his friends in on the conversation, but then again, there was a slight cold breeze and the boy kept nuzzling up against him.  
  
As he was beginning to tune back into the conversation amongst the group, he heard Jongin ask, “Do you miss it here?”  
  
The brunet’s ears perked and he glanced over in Chanyeol’s direction before glancing away when the giant happened to look back as if they had both thought of each other at the same time.  
  
Clearing his throat, Chanyeol gave his old friend a grin and an uncommitted shrug. “I mean, I can’t really tell you yes, because I never really thought about it.”  
  
“That’s understandable,” Jongin said, softly laughing. “Who’d have time in your shoes to think about some little village in the middle of nowhere?”  
  
Minseok reached out towards the fire to warm his cold hands. “Hey, that’s not true. We have cool things here like…”  
  
Baekhyun raised his brows. “Like…?”  
  
“Well, we have really nice weather for one.”  
  
“What are you talking about? Half the time, this place can’t even get any sun cause it’s so cloudy!” Chanyeol chuckled, tossing a small piece of bark over in Minseok’s direction, but missed.  
  
“But I hear it’s great for fishing--”  
  
Baekhyun decided to chime in. “Actually, cloudiness and rain makes fish swim deeper so unless the fishermen around here are using the dredging method, then they wouldn’t be catching much if they’re just netting the surface.”  
  
“Leave it Baekhyun to say something smart,” Jongin joked. He looked over, smiling at Baekhyun as he gently nudged the man sitting next to him on the shoulder.  
  
Chanyeol took notice of the interaction but later turned his eyes away when Yixing touched him by the arm to offer him another beer. The giant took it and passed another bottle that Yixing gave to him over to Jongin. When Yixing asked Baekhyun if he wanted one, the brunet politely declined.  
  
Popping the cap off and tossing it in a metal bucket, Chanyeol took a drink before asking, “So, what is it that you guys do around here on your days off?”  
  
“What’s that?” Minseok joked, garnering the agreement of the others. “I don’t think any of us get what you would call ‘vacation days’. Uh, maybe after work? Does that count as a vacation?”  
  
“I think the only vacation I get is when old man Lee decides to give me a random day off and I usually don’t know when that is.”  
  
“Yeah, so you’re pretty lucky,” Yixing said, pointing at Chanyeol.  
  
“How lucky can I be if I’m spending my vacation here?” The words slipped out of his lips before the giant could filter the words through his mind. It sounded harsh, but it wasn’t how he meant it. However, his friends were gracious enough to let it slide...for the most part.  
  
“Why do you say that like it’s a bad thing?” Minseok asked, pretending to be extremely offended. He might’ve been, just like the others, but not so much in a way that it would’ve actually started an argument. Maybe it was because of the fact that living in such place where the waves crash and go, one eventually learns to live and let die. Chanyeol’s statement included.  
  
Rolling his eyes, Baekhyun shook his head. “Let him be. I’m sure he’s had some fun during his short time here. Isn’t that right, Yeol?”  
  
In a way, it was kind of a lifeline question to be thrown as if giving the man a chance to redeem himself after the flat comment he had just made.  
  
Biting his tongue, Chanyeol took the line, yet played it off. “I suppose seeing you guys is one of the few good things that has happened.”  
  
“Well, we’re all really glad to see you again, too, Chanyeol.” Yixing gave him a light punch on the shoulder, as playful as could be, and the giant turned his face down, grinning.  
  
Despite the years having gone by and the fact that they had--technically--gained a new member, which was the child in Baekhyun’s arms, these guys were his friends… When people closed one chapter of their lives to jump start another, it was rare for old friends to stay friends, and though they never communicated past the first year he was gone, Chanyeol felt as though nothing had changed dramatically. The way he felt in that moment was somewhat indescribable… If any words could describe it all, it felt as though he had shed his celebrity skin and was just another one of the boys.  
  
Coming away from his thoughts, Chanyeol looked over at Baekhyun again who was moving pieces of Kyungsoo’s hair away from the boy’s face and tucking it behind his ears. He saw Jongin attentively watch the brunet before quietly asking, “Do you want me to hold him for you for a bit?”  
  
Gently refusing, Baekhyun shook his head but was sure to let him know that he was grateful for the offer. “Thank you, Jongin, but I’m okay… I should actually go home right about now and put Kyungsoo to bed.”  
  
Giving the young parent a playful, pouty face, Minseok asked, “Already?”  
  
Apologetically, Baekhyun sighed and nodded. “It’s still a school night, so I should be going to bed soon, too, if I’m going to wake him up on time.”  
  
Making sure he was holding Kyungsoo firmly, Baekhyun slowly stood up and repositioned the six year old so he could comfortably hold him on the way home. Kyungsoo stirred from his sleep for a few moments, groggily saying “Dad…” before falling back asleep on his dad’s shoulder. As he gave a nod of goodbye to the others, Chanyeol stood up as well, surprising everyone.  
  
“I’ll walk you home,” the giant stated. It wasn’t said aggressively, which made the brunet raise a brow. Not to say that it was  _odd_  to have Chanyeol  _want_  to walk him home… In fact, he had done that millions of times before.  
  
It was tempting, but Baekhyun decided against being attracted to the latter’s pull. What they had and what they were was in the past, and as hard as it was to keep reminding himself that every time he felt like wandering back into the arms of that familiar face, he knew that he just had to keep his distance.  
  
“No, I’m alright. I’m not too far from here, anyways.”  
  
“It’s a ten minute walk and the street lights around here are barely functional,” Chanyeol reasoned. He didn’t really understand why he felt the need to walk Baekhyun home. Something inside of him just wanted to.  
  
“It’s really not that big of a deal--”  
  
In that moment, Jongin pushed himself off the giant log they had been sitting on and put a hand softly against Baekhyun’s back. “You know what? I can walk you home. Chanyeol should stay here.” He turned his attention to Chanyeol. “You should stay! I mean, this  _is_  all for you, you know. I can walk Baekhyun home and I’ll hurry back as fast as I can.”  
  
Chanyeol wanted to tell his old friend  _no_ , but he couldn’t. At least, not without making a fool out of himself. Biting down on his tongue, he nodded, agreeing to let Jongin take Baekhyun home.  
  
It only took a second after opening his mouth for Baekhyun to realize that the best thing to do was just to let one of them accompany him. Sighing, he turned over to Jongin and smiled weakly. “Thank you, Jongin.”  
  
“Anything for you,” the latter quietly said, playfully grinning.  
  
The brunet didn’t seem to mind as he chuckled and began walking away. He waved one last time before turning his back with Jongin walking beside him, hand on the brunet’s lower back as he climbed up the small incline back to one of the main roads.  
  
Chanyeol never took his eyes off of the two, even if it was obvious by the way his head was craned, but he made no attempt to hide his (less than) obvious curiosity… Or was it jealousy? He scoffed at himself only to have the others next to him validate what his pride was denying him of.  
  
“You really know how to hide your jealousy, Yeol,” Minseok snickered, taking another sip from his bottle. “What was that all about?”  
  
Despite laughing himself, Yixing went to the giant’s defense. “Leave the man alone. Being in this place makes you a little nostalgic. Isn’t that right?”  
  
Chanyeol frowned. “I’m not jealous. Nostalgic? Maybe. Jealous, no.”  
  
“It’s doesn’t look like it.”  
  
Shooting Minseok a slight look of annoyance, the musician rubbed the bridge of his nose. “Is it  _wrong_  for me to want an old  _friend_ to get home safe? Especially now that he has a…” Chanyeol paused for a split second. His jaw was tight. “A son.”  
  
“No, that’s perfectly fine,” Minseok agreed, “ _however_ , Baekhyun’s not just an old friend, and we all know that.”  
  
“Okay, fine.” The giant was not a fan of the topic. “But I wasn’t jealous.”  
  
Yixing ran a hand through his hair as he chuckled. “Look, I’m on your side, but the looks you were throwing in Jongin’s direction  _were_ kind of funny.”  
  
Rolling his eyes, Chanyeol took a swing of his drink, purposely swallowing large gulps in increments. He needed to loosen up and stop thinking so damn hard about certain things--and people. “Can we talk about something else?” he blatantly asked, unable to take the heat from both of his friends.  
  
As the laughter subsided, Minseok took a long look at Chanyeol before heaving a big sigh. “Listen, all jokes aside, we’re really glad you came to spend some time with us. I mean, it was a little weird because we’ve always been so used to you and Baekhyun being a thing, but that was nearly seven years ago.”  
  
“Right.”  
  
Yixing nodded. “I’m telling you. It's nostalgia.”  
  
“Sometimes you just miss the past,” Minseok shrugged. “Doesn’t mean we have to go back to it. It’s not like we can, but that’s how life is, you know? You have to keep moving forward.”  
  
“Exactly,” Chanyeol muttered in a way as if to scold himself for the drifting feelings he often caught himself holding inside. How stupid was he to feel those things in the first place? As much as he denied that it was jealousy, whatever it was, it was  _nothing_.  
  
He hadn’t seen Baekhyun in so long so maybe he  _was_  feeling a bit nostalgic. Everything he felt up until that point was all because he missed the past, not because there was actually something there. And Kyungsoo? For all he knew, his curiosity for the boy was probably because of the fact that he was still in shock that the boy he once knew was already a parent. There was nothing special there. No  _jealousy_. No feelings… Nothing.  
  
However, as Chanyeol finished all that was left inside of his bottle, the hardest part about repeating those things to himself was believing it.  
  
-  
  
-  
  
It was well past twelve and Baekhyun still couldn’t sleep. He tossed and turned multiple times, hoping and praying that he’d knock out after finding a comfortable position, but by the time twelve fifteen rolled around, he sat up from his futon, defeated and restless.  
  
He hadn’t gotten a full night’s rest ever since Chanyeol arrived back in town, on that night specifically, it was hopeless.  
  
He rose out of bed and pushed the covers off to the side. Making a quick trip to the living area, he picked up the small, old radio and returned back into this bedroom. Baekhyun laid back down, setting the radio close to his head as he toyed with the mini antenna in the hopes of catching a signal, and after playing with the tuning coil for a while, he managed to catch onto a frequency with minimal noise.  
  
Closing his eyes, let the music fill his ears and allowed himself to become distracted from the thoughts that were keeping him awake in the dead of night, but it wasn’t long until the song faded out and the radio host began speaking. Normally, this wouldn’t have bothered Baekhyun, but the particular person on air defeated the entire purpose of taking the radio in his private room.  
  
_“How was that new track by The Band Copper? Pretty amazing, right? That track was actually chosen by yours truly before he left us to go on vacation in the sun, which reminds me! There’s about a week left until Chanyeol comes back so tell all your friends who stopped listening because--”_  
  
Groaning, Baekhyun took the radio in both hands and picked the batteries out from the back. He couldn’t catch a break.  
  
-  
  
-  
  
Chanyeol was home around the time when Sehun returned from school and one of the reasons why he knew this was because of the fact that he had heard the boy yelling. Looking out the window of his bedroom, he watched as the boy opened the gates to his parents’ home, holding Kyungsoo’s hand as both stepped onto the property. Once they were out from his view, he went downstairs and was met with Yoora climbing up the stairs at the same time that he was descending.  
  
“Oh, good. You’ve decided to crawl out of your cave,” she said, ignoring the look on her brother’s face as she turned around and began going down. “I just realized we’re out of peppers and a few other things. Mom and dad should be coming home soon so I need to prepare dinner for them.”  
  
“So, what do you want me to do?” Chanyeol asked, following behind her.  
  
“Watch the kids, please,” Yoora said, dropping her voice as the boys entered through the front door. “I won’t take long.”  
  
“Yoora--”  
  
“Hi, mom! Uncle!” Sehun’s greetings were loud, which only made the smile on Yoora’s face bigger. “Grandma Byun said that Kyungsoo could play here for a while!”  
  
“That’s fine, honey,” Yoora answered before she met eyes with Chanyeol again. “I know you say that you’re not good with kids, but--”  
  
“I’m not--”  
  
“ _But_  I really need your help right now. Besides, they’re only going to play.”  
  
Glancing over at the two boys, Chanyeol saw as Sehun began pulled one of his toys out of his backpack, but what really caught his attention was the way Kyungsoo often glanced back at  _him_. “Yoora, I’m going to lose one of them.”  
  
Rolling her eyes, Yoora walked around him to grab her wallet off a side table. “It’s not going to take long. I promise. The store’s practically down the street.”  
  
Reluctantly, Chanyeol nodded. As much as he didn’t want to look after children, there wasn’t really much choice. “Fine, but hurry back.”  
  
“Thank you, thank you.” She kissed him on the cheek before going over to Sehun to kiss him on the forehead. “Behave. You, too, Kyungsoo!”  
  
The six year old watched as his aunt waved at him. In return, he gave a weak wave back.  
  
The door shut behind her and within seconds, Chanyeol was left in charge of two children. It didn’t seem like such a difficult thing to do considering that all he had to do was keep an eye on them for fifteen minutes at most.  
  
After pulling out three action figures, Sehun decided that the gang needed a car mobile. He thought for a second and remembered the toys Chanyeol had gotten him that his mother kept upstairs in her old, childhood bedroom.  
  
Looking up at Kyungsoo with excited eyes, Sehun put a finger up in the air as if to indicate that he had just gotten a bright idea. “I’ll be right back, Soo! I have to go look for their car upstairs!”  
  
“Okay,” the latter replied a bit indifferently as he picked up one of the figures.  
  
Sehun didn’t mind the response as he jetted up the stairs, slipping on one of the steps and falling on his right knee. It didn’t hinder him, however, but Chanyeol still scolded him.  
  
“Don’t run on the stairs! At least, slow down!”  
  
It took a few moments for Chanyeol to realize that he was alone with Kyungsoo. He had been so awkward with the boy in the past before, and he didn’t know why. Maybe it had to do with the fact that Kyungsoo barely responded to any of his questions or attempts to interact.  
  
Chanyeol felt his heart stop when Kyungsoo ceased playing with the toy and looked up at him as if he could see right through the man. Then, to the giant’s surprise, the six year old talked to him in a voice that cracked midway through the one word that was said.  
  
“Hi.”  
  
The giant had to blink a few times before he realized that the child was actually interacting with him. “Hey…” It was all Chanyeol could muster up before he cleared his throat.  
  
Out of the blue, Kyungsoo then asked, “Do you have a family?”  
  
Taken aback, Chanyeol raised a brow as he slowly approached Kyungsoo, who was sitting on the floor with his knees up against his chest. “Yeah, I do. I have Yoora, Sehun, my mom, and my dad.”  
  
Staring blankly at him for a couple of seconds, Kyungsoo pursed his lips together. “Do you have a boy?”  
  
Frowning, Chanyeol knelt and took a seat on the floor across from Kyungsoo. “What do you mean?”  
  
“Like… A boy.” Kyungsoo said it adamantly, as if repeating the words would’ve clarified Chanyeol’s confusion easily. “Do you have a boy?”  
  
“I don’t...have a boy,” Chanyeol replied slowly, unsure if that particular answer was correct. Then, for a moment, he thought that it might’ve  _been_  incorrect after all when the six year old looked down, seemingly disappointed.  
  
“Okay.”  
  
By the tone of his voice, Chanyeol was sure that he had answered that question wrong. “Did you mean to ask if I had a  _toy_?” he asked, grasping at straws. Maybe he misheard. “Just like these action figures Sehun has?”  
  
Kyungsoo didn’t answer.  
  
One wrong answer and Chanyeol felt like he was back to square one.  
  
“I’m sorry. Did I say something wrong?” Chanyeol looked down at the action figure in Kyungsoo’s small hand. “What did you mean by boy?”  
  
“My dad told me that you don’t know about--”  
  
“Soo! I got it!” Sehun yelled from the second floor, causing Kyungsoo and Chanyeol to turn their eyes on him. “I’m coming down! And I won’t run, Uncle. Promise!”  
  
Chanyeol was the first to recover from the surprise, turning his eyes back on Kyungsoo who continued to watch as Sehun made his return. Touching the boy on his shoulder, the giant attempted to grab back his attention.  
  
“Hey, what were you going to say about your dad?”  
  
However, as soon as Kyungsoo looked at him in the eyes, Chanyeol knew that he would never know what the boy intended to say.


	6. Promises

It took a day or so for Baekhyun to notice, but Kyungsoo’s demeanor had changed. The boy was relatively quiet, but as the brunet started to become more and more aware, he took note of how Kyungsoo was, if anything, not only more silent than before, but he also had a vibe of what felt like pent up frustration. Their routine was the same every day, so he couldn’t figure out what had happened and when exactly it took place. He did take into consideration how Kyungsoo was away at school for most of the day so perhaps he was being bullied and he, as a parent, was blissfully unaware of his own son’s situation.

For a while, Baekhyun was conflicted. He never wanted to be the type of parent to pry information out of their child, but at the same time, he did have a responsibility to ensure that Kyungsoo was okay.

The morning after Kyungsoo’s strange behavior began, Baekhyun did the usual--woke up early and cooked breakfast-- as he listened to the faint sound of the radio. It was bleak that day, possibly due to the wind, but the static was nothing out of the ordinary.

As the time came around, Baekhyun began to set the table for breakfast before quietly walking as he entered Kyungsoo’s bedroom. It was dark, but his right hand was quick to flick the switch and stir in the child. With a small, adoring smile on his face, Baekhyun made his way over to the bed and knelt down as he began to stroke his son’s head.

“Hey, Soo… It’s time to wake up now. We have to get ready to go to school.” He saw Kyungsoo’s eyes slowly open, but the six year old shut them again, pushing his head slightly deeper into his pillow. “I know you want to go back to sleep, but we have to eat now.”

Kyungsoo’s tiny fist made a ball and wrinkled the pillow case. The action didn’t go unnoticed since it was odd for the latter to do such a thing. Every other morning, the six year old would quietly abide; however, today seemed different.

Sympathetic, Baekhyun sighed as he decided to sit on the floor. “What’s wrong, Soo?”

At first, nothing came out of the six-year old, but as Baekhyun waited, Kyungsoo shifted, showing his face. It didn’t take long for Baekhyun to realize that he was upset.

“I want to go back to sleep…”

Baekhyun gave him a sorry smile. “I know… But you can’t skip school--”

Shaking his head, Kyungsoo stopped his father from continuing on. “It’s not school.”

“Then why do you want to go back to sleep? Are you sick?” Quickly, the brunet checked the boy’s temperature, but nothing came out of it. He was perfectly fine.

“I had a dream.” The voice came so quietly that Baekhyun barely caught on to the words.”That’s why.”

“Oh… I’m sorry. I didn’t know,” Baekhyun said softly. “Is that why you’re upset?”

Subtly, Kyungsoo nodded.

“It must’ve been a really good dream, then,” Baekhyun commented. “Do you want to tell me what it was about?”

There was a bit of hesitation and Baekhyun could see it in Kyungsoo’s eyes. He didn’t want to speculate so he occupied his mind by continuing to stroke his son’s hair. However, as Kyungsoo began to speak again, the brunet’s hand stopped.

“It was about us…” There was a pause and for a moment, Baekhyun felt like he stopped breathing all together. “And him…”

Baekhyun fought to keep calm, but everything inside of him was racing. He wanted to run away from the conversation, to ignore it as he had always done for the last six years. But he knew he couldn’t. The look in Kyungsoo’s eyes, the way he felt so defeated by a mere dream…

Shit...

Sighing, Baekhyun put his hand down and sat up on the bed. Kyungsoo made room by moving his legs. “Well… I guess I should ask you what happened in your dream then, shouldn’t I? You don't have to tell me if you don’t want to.”

“It's okay…” Kyungsoo murmured, taking a second for himself. “We went to the beach. And then home. And then we played games…”

“Like a family?”

Silently, the six year old nodded. Pursing his lips, Baekhyun pulled the blanket away enough to reveal the latter’s face. “I’m sorry… Your dad, he’s—”

“I know.”

Baekhyun stopped. “Soo, it’s a lot more complicated than you think. I’m sorry…”

He was selfish and he was well aware of that. And maybe he was a little scared of the possible things that could happen based on what went on in the past, but seeing Kyungsoo so let down by something so arbitrary as a dream made him reconsider the decisions he’d been making for last seven years. Should he let his fear of what Chanyeol was in the past scare him now? It was obvious that his fear was coming in between something greater beyond himself, but at the same time, he wanted to protect Kyungsoo so badly that it almost hurt.

Biting his lip, Baekyun looked away for a moment. Maybe it was time… Although he didn’t want to let go of the protective barrier that he had worked so hard to put in place, there was something inside of him that told him that Kyungsoo--in the very least--deserved to know Chanyeol.

It was a hard decision to make, and Baekhyun had made plenty of difficult choices throughout his life, but it had to be done slowly.

Putting his hand on Kyungsoo’s back, Baekhyun opened his throat, feeling well-aware of the dryness that cursed his throat in that moment.

“Listen, Soo… How about… I ask Chanyeol to hang out with you tomorrow?” he asked softly, watching attentively at the young boy’s expression. “You can go to the beach, or maybe you’d like to watch a movie with him? I can rent a tape from Mr. Cheong’s shop.”

Kyungsoo was silent for a while, but as he rubbed his eyes and shifted, Baekhyun knew that it was a positive sign. “Yes, please.”

“So, a movie?”

“And the beach…”

Baekhyun helped the boy sit upright on his bed. “Okay,” he said. “I’ll ask him if he’d like to watch a movie with you tomorrow evening. You two can go to the beach before then after you finish school and--”

“No,” Kyungsoo said quietly, but enough to make Baekhyun notice how adamant the six year old was. “I want you there, too, dad…”

“Baby--”

“Please.”

It was almost as if he found it hard to breathe, which wasn’t far from the truth. Letting Kyungsoo spend some quality time with Chanyeol was something that he could understand and give way for, but for the three of them to be together? It might give off the wrong impression or the wrong type of vibes. Baekhyun was almost postive that Chanyeol would feel weird and awkward spending time with an ex and his ex’s child. It just wasn’t normal.

But Kyungsoo was their child, and he wanted to spend time with both parents as a family unit, even if Chanyeol didn’t understand their official relationship to each other.

Baekhyun had to remind himself that it wasn’t about him anymore. Kyungsoo was at an age where he could understand and express his feelings. Of course, as the parent, he had the final word, but the boy’s genuine longing to know the father he had only imagined about for all his life was too true for even Baekhyun to deny any longer.

Sighing, Baekhyun gave a small nod as he gave in to the request. “Okay… If you want all three of us to be together tomorrow, then I’ll see what I can do.”

“Really?”

“Really,” Baekhyun promised. He smiled when a small curve at the edge of Kyungsoo’s lips finally broke upwards. “Now, what do you say we get ready for school? Feeling better?”

Kyungsoo answered with the nod. He was never a hyper-active kid, but Baekhyun could just feel his son’s excitement by the way he jumped out of bed and shooed his father off so he could quickly fix his sheets, which he never did, but the brunet could see that he was trying very hard to be on his best behavior. Maybe he was fearful that Baekhyun would suddenly change his mind if he misbehaved, but before Baekhyun could reassure him, Kyungsoo was already out of his room and heading to the kitchen to eat his breakfast.

 

  
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AND THEN THERE WAS YOU 5

EXOBUBZ  
March 31st, 3:41  
And Then There Was You (v)  
by EXObubz  
Previous | Next

  
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The conflict raging in Baekhyun’s mind was enough to kill him if it could. Pride was a hard thing to swallow, and despite having so little left after years of accepting the fact that he had to put himself aside in order to raise Kyungsoo, Baekhyun was subconsciously protecting it like a second child.

He couldn’t believe himself when he looked in the mirror after work ended. Inside, he knew that he wanted to go to Yixing’s little get-together. On one hand, things were a bit better with Chanyeol. The giant had nothing to be suspicious about. Hell, he thought that Kyungsoo was the product of a one night stand he had after their break-up. Surprisingly, Chanyeol seemed a bit taken back by the news, as if he was washed over by regret… But what did Baekhyun know? He couldn’t read people’s minds. With all of that being said, it was safe to mingle with his ex--at least, that’s what it felt like. It meant nothing and he had not intention of ever reigniting what died years ago.

However, on the other hand, it felt really selfish to do so. Leaving Kyungsoo behind so he could go off and spend time with his friends? It sounded so trivial. Most parents would jump at the chance to do so, but, in the end, Baekhyun couldn’t allow himself to go.

Their small house was quiet. The sound of the radio playing in the background wasn’t enough to distract Baekhyun at all. He walked out of his bedroom to poke his head in Kyungsoo’s room where the boy was coloring pictures of animals. Maybe it was homework or perhaps it was simply for recreational purposes. Baekhyun didn’t question it.

He removed himself from the room and sat in the middle of the dining room, putting his head on the small floor round table. Sighing out of pure exhaustion, he closed his eyes. For a minute, he thought he might’ve been able to actually drift off and sleepy in that uncomfortable position, but any possibility of that happening was put away when he heard knocking in the direction of the front door.

As far as he knew, he wasn’t expecting anyone. Nobody usually came around his place that late unless it was his mother, but she would’ve given him the notice before stopping by unexpectedly. Unlocking the locks, Baekhyun pulled the door open, surprised to see Yixing and Jongin. It took a second for him to realize that it wasn’t only them that were present. Behind them, Chanyeol stood by. When they made eye contact, the giant shrugged.

“What’re you guys doing here?” Baekhyun asked slowly, eyeing the two eager men in front of him.

“We decided that it wouldn’t be the same without you--and well, Minseok, but we thought we’d go get him after you,” Yixing said, stuffing his hands in his front pockets. “I know you said no when Jongin asked, but--”

“You guys, this is really nice of you,” Baekhyun said, interrupting, “but I can’t. I have Kyungsoo and I have to put him to bed. Not to mention--”

“You can bring Kyungsoo. We’re just going to go start a bonfire at the beach. Nothing too crazy,” Yixing appealed.

Baekhyun sighed, looking back behind him only to be surprised that Kyungsoo was hiding behind the archway to his bedroom. He froze, unsure of what to do. Before he could say anything, Kyungsoo beat him to it.

“I want to go.”

As if he wasn’t already in a predicament with himself as a person, but now he was at a cross road given his parental responsibilities. Trying to persuade the six year old otherwise, Baekhyun gave him an apologetic look. “You have school tomorrow, Soo. Remember?”

“It’s only seven, Baek,” Jongin added, giving a wave to Kyungsoo. “Give it an hour. Two at most.”

“I--”

“It wouldn’t be the same without you.”

Baekhyun’s eyes flickered over in Chanyeol’s direction. Catching his gaze, the brunet could see where Kyungsoo got his beautiful eyes from. Gripping the door handle, Baekhyun conceded and sighed. “Fine. An hour--and that includes walking over to Minseok’s place and walking back.”

“Fine, fine,” Yixing said as he gave a slight shiver. “Might wanna bundle up a bit. It’s chilly.”

“Right... “ Baekhyun mumbled before realizing how all three of the men were standing outside his door, exposed to the elements. “You guys should come in while I dress Kyungsoo. It shouldn’t take too long.”

Nodding, Yixing motioned for Jongin and Chanyeol to follow him in as Baekhyun stepped aside. The brunet smiled at them despite being slightly unsure of any of the decisions he was making that night. On his way in, Chanyeol mouthed sorry, perhaps alluding to the situation. Responding, Baekhyun offered a shrug as he closed the door behind the giant.

“Make yourselves at home. I’ll try to not take up too much time.”

Making his exit from the living room area, Baekhyun scooped Kyungsoo up before closing the sliding door behind the both of them, leaving his guests to settle in his small living area. As soon as he set the little boy down on his bed, he could already read the questions flashing across the six year old’s dark, brown eyes. A surge of guilt washed over Baekhyun’s entire existence as he fought against the crashing waves with everything that he had as he knelt down to give Kyungsoo a kiss on the forehead before turning his back to lay out some warm clothes.

-

-

During the day, the weather was often gloomy and cold. When the sun disappeared, it was no exception.

Just as Baekhyun expected, Kyungsoo tired himself out from the walk, even before they reached the bonfire area that Yixing had intended to use. Within the first hour, the boy was nodding off as he played with the charred wood in the pit using a long, skinny stick he had found along the road.

Baekhyun held the sleeping boy on his lap, cradling him as he slept comfortably in his dad’s arms. Maybe he felt more focused on keeping the boy comfortable than joining his friends in on the conversation, but then again, there was a slight cold breeze and the boy kept nuzzling up against him.

As he was beginning to tune back into the conversation amongst the group, he heard Jongin ask, “Do you miss it here?”

The brunet’s ears perked and he glanced over in Chanyeol’s direction before glancing away when the giant happened to look back as if they had both thought of each other at the same time.

Clearing his throat, Chanyeol gave his old friend a grin and an uncommitted shrug. “I mean, I can’t really tell you yes, because I never really thought about it.”

“That’s understandable,” Jongin said, softly laughing. “Who’d have time in your shoes to think about some little village in the middle of nowhere?”

Minseok reached out towards the fire to warm his cold hands. “Hey, that’s not true. We have cool things here like…”

Baekhyun raised his brows. “Like…?”

“Well, we have really nice weather for one.”

“What are you talking about? Half the time, this place can’t even get any sun cause it’s so cloudy!” Chanyeol chuckled, tossing a small piece of bark over in Minseok’s direction, but missed.

“But I hear it’s great for fishing--”

Baekhyun decided to chime in. “Actually, cloudiness and rain makes fish swim deeper so unless the fishermen around here are using the dredging method, then they wouldn’t be catching much if they’re just netting the surface.”

“Leave it Baekhyun to say something smart,” Jongin joked. He looked over, smiling at Baekhyun as he gently nudged the man sitting next to him on the shoulder.

Chanyeol took notice of the interaction but later turned his eyes away when Yixing touched him by the arm to offer him another beer. The giant took it and passed another bottle that Yixing gave to him over to Jongin. When Yixing asked Baekhyun if he wanted one, the brunet politely declined.

Popping the cap off and tossing it in a metal bucket, Chanyeol took a drink before asking, “So, what is it that you guys do around here on your days off?”

“What’s that?” Minseok joked, garnering the agreement of the others. “I don’t think any of us get what you would call ‘vacation days’. Uh, maybe after work? Does that count as a vacation?”

“I think the only vacation I get is when old man Lee decides to give me a random day off and I usually don’t know when that is.”

“Yeah, so you’re pretty lucky,” Yixing said, pointing at Chanyeol.

“How lucky can I be if I’m spending my vacation here?” The words slipped out of his lips before the giant could filter the words through his mind. It sounded harsh, but it wasn’t how he meant it. However, his friends were gracious enough to let it slide...for the most part.

“Why do you say that like it’s a bad thing?” Minseok asked, pretending to be extremely offended. He might’ve been, just like the others, but not so much in a way that it would’ve actually started an argument. Maybe it was because of the fact that living in such place where the waves crash and go, one eventually learns to live and let die. Chanyeol’s statement included.

Rolling his eyes, Baekhyun shook his head. “Let him be. I’m sure he’s had some fun during his short time here. Isn’t that right, Yeol?”

In a way, it was kind of a lifeline question to be thrown as if giving the man a chance to redeem himself after the flat comment he had just made.

Biting his tongue, Chanyeol took the line, yet played it off. “I suppose seeing you guys is one of the few good things that has happened.”

“Well, we’re all really glad to see you again, too, Chanyeol.” Yixing gave him a light punch on the shoulder, as playful as could be, and the giant turned his face down, grinning.

Despite the years having gone by and the fact that they had--technically--gained a new member, which was the child in Baekhyun’s arms, these guys were his friends… When people closed one chapter of their lives to jump start another, it was rare for old friends to stay friends, and though they never communicated past the first year he was gone, Chanyeol felt as though nothing had changed dramatically. The way he felt in that moment was somewhat indescribable… If any words could describe it all, it felt as though he had shed his celebrity skin and was just another one of the boys.

Coming away from his thoughts, Chanyeol looked over at Baekhyun again who was moving pieces of Kyungsoo’s hair away from the boy’s face and tucking it behind his ears. He saw Jongin attentively watch the brunet before quietly asking, “Do you want me to hold him for you for a bit?”

Gently refusing, Baekhyun shook his head but was sure to let him know that he was grateful for the offer. “Thank you, Jongin, but I’m okay… I should actually go home right about now and put Kyungsoo to bed.”

Giving the young parent a playful, pouty face, Minseok asked, “Already?”

Apologetically, Baekhyun sighed and nodded. “It’s still a school night, so I should be going to bed soon, too, if I’m going to wake him up on time.”

Making sure he was holding Kyungsoo firmly, Baekhyun slowly stood up and repositioned the six year old so he could comfortably hold him on the way home. Kyungsoo stirred from his sleep for a few moments, groggily saying “Dad…” before falling back asleep on his dad’s shoulder. As he gave a nod of goodbye to the others, Chanyeol stood up as well, surprising everyone.

“I’ll walk you home,” the giant stated. It wasn’t said aggressively, which made the brunet raise a brow. Not to say that it was odd to have Chanyeol want to walk him home… In fact, he had done that millions of times before.

It was tempting, but Baekhyun decided against being attracted to the latter’s pull. What they had and what they were was in the past, and as hard as it was to keep reminding himself that every time he felt like wandering back into the arms of that familiar face, he knew that he just had to keep his distance.

“No, I’m alright. I’m not too far from here, anyways.”

“It’s a ten minute walk and the street lights around here are barely functional,” Chanyeol reasoned. He didn’t really understand why he felt the need to walk Baekhyun home. Something inside of him just wanted to.

“It’s really not that big of a deal--”

In that moment, Jongin pushed himself off the giant log they had been sitting on and put a hand softly against Baekhyun’s back. “You know what? I can walk you home. Chanyeol should stay here.” He turned his attention to Chanyeol. “You should stay! I mean, this is all for you, you know. I can walk Baekhyun home and I’ll hurry back as fast as I can.”

Chanyeol wanted to tell his old friend no, but he couldn’t. At least, not without making a fool out of himself. Biting down on his tongue, he nodded, agreeing to let Jongin take Baekhyun home.

It only took a second after opening his mouth for Baekhyun to realize that the best thing to do was just to let one of them accompany him. Sighing, he turned over to Jongin and smiled weakly. “Thank you, Jongin.”

“Anything for you,” the latter quietly said, playfully grinning.

The brunet didn’t seem to mind as he chuckled and began walking away. He waved one last time before turning his back with Jongin walking beside him, hand on the brunet’s lower back as he climbed up the small incline back to one of the main roads.

Chanyeol never took his eyes off of the two, even if it was obvious by the way his head was craned, but he made no attempt to hide his (less than) obvious curiosity… Or was it jealousy? He scoffed at himself only to have the others next to him validate what his pride was denying him of.

“You really know how to hide your jealousy, Yeol,” Minseok snickered, taking another sip from his bottle. “What was that all about?”

Despite laughing himself, Yixing went to the giant’s defense. “Leave the man alone. Being in this place makes you a little nostalgic. Isn’t that right?”

Chanyeol frowned. “I’m not jealous. Nostalgic? Maybe. Jealous, no.”

“It’s doesn’t look like it.”

Shooting Minseok a slight look of annoyance, the musician rubbed the bridge of his nose. “Is it wrong for me to want an old friend to get home safe? Especially now that he has a…” Chanyeol paused for a split second. His jaw was tight. “A son.”

“No, that’s perfectly fine,” Minseok agreed, “however, Baekhyun’s not just an old friend, and we all know that.”

“Okay, fine.” The giant was not a fan of the topic. “But I wasn’t jealous.”

Yixing ran a hand through his hair as he chuckled. “Look, I’m on your side, but the looks you were throwing in Jongin’s direction were kind of funny.”

Rolling his eyes, Chanyeol took a swing of his drink, purposely swallowing large gulps in increments. He needed to loosen up and stop thinking so damn hard about certain things--and people. “Can we talk about something else?” he blatantly asked, unable to take the heat from both of his friends.

As the laughter subsided, Minseok took a long look at Chanyeol before heaving a big sigh. “Listen, all jokes aside, we’re really glad you came to spend some time with us. I mean, it was a little weird because we’ve always been so used to you and Baekhyun being a thing, but that was nearly seven years ago.”

“Right.”

Yixing nodded. “I’m telling you. It's nostalgia.”

“Sometimes you just miss the past,” Minseok shrugged. “Doesn’t mean we have to go back to it. It’s not like we can, but that’s how life is, you know? You have to keep moving forward.”

“Exactly,” Chanyeol muttered in a way as if to scold himself for the drifting feelings he often caught himself holding inside. How stupid was he to feel those things in the first place? As much as he denied that it was jealousy, whatever it was, it was nothing.

He hadn’t seen Baekhyun in so long so maybe he was feeling a bit nostalgic. Everything he felt up until that point was all because he missed the past, not because there was actually something there. And Kyungsoo? For all he knew, his curiosity for the boy was probably because of the fact that he was still in shock that the boy he once knew was already a parent. There was nothing special there. No jealousy. No feelings… Nothing.

However, as Chanyeol finished all that was left inside of his bottle, the hardest part about repeating those things to himself was believing it.

-

-

It was well past twelve and Baekhyun still couldn’t sleep. He tossed and turned multiple times, hoping and praying that he’d knock out after finding a comfortable position, but by the time twelve fifteen rolled around, he sat up from his futon, defeated and restless.

He hadn’t gotten a full night’s rest ever since Chanyeol arrived back in town, on that night specifically, it was hopeless.

He rose out of bed and pushed the covers off to the side. Making a quick trip to the living area, he picked up the small, old radio and returned back into this bedroom. Baekhyun laid back down, setting the radio close to his head as he toyed with the mini antenna in the hopes of catching a signal, and after playing with the tuning coil for a while, he managed to catch onto a frequency with minimal noise.

Closing his eyes, let the music fill his ears and allowed himself to become distracted from the thoughts that were keeping him awake in the dead of night, but it wasn’t long until the song faded out and the radio host began speaking. Normally, this wouldn’t have bothered Baekhyun, but the particular person on air defeated the entire purpose of taking the radio in his private room.

“How was that new track by The Band Copper? Pretty amazing, right? That track was actually chosen by yours truly before he left us to go on vacation in the sun, which reminds me! There’s about a week left until Chanyeol comes back so tell all your friends who stopped listening because--”

Groaning, Baekhyun took the radio in both hands and picked the batteries out from the back. He couldn’t catch a break.

-

-

Chanyeol was home around the time when Sehun returned from school and one of the reasons why he knew this was because of the fact that he had heard the boy yelling. Looking out the window of his bedroom, he watched as the boy opened the gates to his parents’ home, holding Kyungsoo’s hand as both stepped onto the property. Once they were out from his view, he went downstairs and was met with Yoora climbing up the stairs at the same time that he was descending.

“Oh, good. You’ve decided to crawl out of your cave,” she said, ignoring the look on her brother’s face as she turned around and began going down. “I just realized we’re out of peppers and a few other things. Mom and dad should be coming home soon so I need to prepare dinner for them.”

“So, what do you want me to do?” Chanyeol asked, following behind her.

“Watch the kids, please,” Yoora said, dropping her voice as the boys entered through the front door. “I won’t take long.”

“Yoora--”

“Hi, mom! Uncle!” Sehun’s greetings were loud, which only made the smile on Yoora’s face bigger. “Grandma Byun said that Kyungsoo could play here for a while!”

“That’s fine, honey,” Yoora answered before she met eyes with Chanyeol again. “I know you say that you’re not good with kids, but--”

“I’m not--”

“But I really need your help right now. Besides, they’re only going to play.”

Glancing over at the two boys, Chanyeol saw as Sehun began pulled one of his toys out of his backpack, but what really caught his attention was the way Kyungsoo often glanced back at him. “Yoora, I’m going to lose one of them.”

Rolling her eyes, Yoora walked around him to grab her wallet off a side table. “It’s not going to take long. I promise. The store’s practically down the street.”

Reluctantly, Chanyeol nodded. As much as he didn’t want to look after children, there wasn’t really much choice. “Fine, but hurry back.”

“Thank you, thank you.” She kissed him on the cheek before going over to Sehun to kiss him on the forehead. “Behave. You, too, Kyungsoo!”

The six year old watched as his aunt waved at him. In return, he gave a weak wave back.

The door shut behind her and within seconds, Chanyeol was left in charge of two children. It didn’t seem like such a difficult thing to do considering that all he had to do was keep an eye on them for fifteen minutes at most.

After pulling out three action figures, Sehun decided that the gang needed a car mobile. He thought for a second and remembered the toys Chanyeol had gotten him that his mother kept upstairs in her old, childhood bedroom.

Looking up at Kyungsoo with excited eyes, Sehun put a finger up in the air as if to indicate that he had just gotten a bright idea. “I’ll be right back, Soo! I have to go look for their car upstairs!”

“Okay,” the latter replied a bit indifferently as he picked up one of the figures.

Sehun didn’t mind the response as he jetted up the stairs, slipping on one of the steps and falling on his right knee. It didn’t hinder him, however, but Chanyeol still scolded him.

“Don’t run on the stairs! At least, slow down!”

It took a few moments for Chanyeol to realize that he was alone with Kyungsoo. He had been so awkward with the boy in the past before, and he didn’t know why. Maybe it had to do with the fact that Kyungsoo barely responded to any of his questions or attempts to interact.

Chanyeol felt his heart stop when Kyungsoo ceased playing with the toy and looked up at him as if he could see right through the man. Then, to the giant’s surprise, the six year old talked to him in a voice that cracked midway through the one word that was said.

“Hi.”

The giant had to blink a few times before he realized that the child was actually interacting with him. “Hey…” It was all Chanyeol could muster up before he cleared his throat.

Out of the blue, Kyungsoo then asked, “Do you have a family?”

Taken aback, Chanyeol raised a brow as he slowly approached Kyungsoo, who was sitting on the floor with his knees up against his chest. “Yeah, I do. I have Yoora, Sehun, my mom, and my dad.”

Staring blankly at him for a couple of seconds, Kyungsoo pursed his lips together. “Do you have a boy?”

Frowning, Chanyeol knelt and took a seat on the floor across from Kyungsoo. “What do you mean?”

“Like… A boy.” Kyungsoo said it adamantly, as if repeating the words would’ve clarified Chanyeol’s confusion easily. “Do you have a boy?”

“I don’t...have a boy,” Chanyeol replied slowly, unsure if that particular answer was correct. Then, for a moment, he thought that it might’ve been incorrect after all when the six year old looked down, seemingly disappointed.

“Okay.”

By the tone of his voice, Chanyeol was sure that he had answered that question wrong. “Did you mean to ask if I had a toy?” he asked, grasping at straws. Maybe he misheard. “Just like these action figures Sehun has?”

Kyungsoo didn’t answer.

One wrong answer and Chanyeol felt like he was back to square one.

“I’m sorry. Did I say something wrong?” Chanyeol looked down at the action figure in Kyungsoo’s small hand. “What did you mean by boy?”

“My dad told me that you don’t know about--”

“Soo! I got it!” Sehun yelled from the second floor, causing Kyungsoo and Chanyeol to turn their eyes on him. “I’m coming down! And I won’t run, Uncle. Promise!”

Chanyeol was the first to recover from the surprise, turning his eyes back on Kyungsoo who continued to watch as Sehun made his return. Touching the boy on his shoulder, the giant attempted to grab back his attention.

“Hey, what were you going to say about your dad?”

However, as soon as Kyungsoo looked at him in the eyes, Chanyeol knew that he would never know what the boy intended to say.


	7. Shores

It was never in his plans to find himself approaching Chanyeol after work, especially when he looked so unpresentable in his mind, but then again, it was never in anyone’s plan for him to have Kyungsoo, who was the reason for seeking out the giant for a favor. Baekhyun almost hated how he smelled like the ocean and the subtle hints that reminded him of the market place, but it was only applicable in that moment. He didn’t understand the nervousness that came with being in front of Chanyeol’s presence again. Those feelings were so juvenile and childish that he wanted to rid himself of them so badly, and yet… he couldn’t.  
  
His fist was curled just inches away from the Park’s door, but every time he told himself he’d knock, Baekhyun couldn’t do it. Pulling away a few times, he took a breather and hung his head in an effort to recollect his courage and pride. Then, once again, he tried to knock, but stopped just before making contact with the door.  
  
Cursing at himself, Baekhyun backed away from the door, running his hand through his hair in frustration. Maybe he should bother Chanyeol some other time when  _he_  felt like he was actually presentable. Making the decision to try again later that week, the brunet turned on his heel and began walking away only to be stopped a few feet short of the gate by someone calling his name. WIthout having to wonder who, Baekhyun sucked in a breath of air before forcing a smile on his face as he turned to face the giant standing underneath the door arch.  
  
“Hey,” he said, initially trying to sound as casual as he could before realizing he was only making things sound more forced. Clearing his throat, he slowly approached Chanyeol, though he made sure to keep his distance. “Um…”  
  
Raising a brow, Chanyeol waited for the brunet to finish knowing full well that Baekhyun was struggling to even speak. But, to him, it was a bit entertaining watching the man fumble and hoping that  _he’d_  say something to alleviate the awkwardness.  
  
Realizing that he wasn’t going to have any help from his ex and that Chanyeol was essentially forcing him to get straight to the point as to why he was there in the first place, Baekhyun sighed in front of him, making it clear that he wasn’t going to play the silent game. “Are you free tomorrow?”  
  
It was a stupid question to ask. Chanyeol was on vacation in a small town that had nothing to offer for entertainment (except nature), so of course, the man had nothing to do tomorrow. Baekhyun immediately felt himself turn a shade of red darker and looked away, hoping that Chanyeol would answer soon.  
  
Luckily for him, he did.  
  
“I am. Why?”  
  
Baekhyun’s chest heaved before he answered. “Would you mind... spending some time with Kyungsoo?”  
  
The request caught Chanyeol off guard as he uncrossed his arms and looked at flustered male with curious eyes. “I don’t mind, but…” He paused. “Is there a reason why you’re asking me to spend time with him? Don’t get me wrong, Baek, but I really wasn’t expecting you to ask me this.”  
  
“It’s just that Kyungsoo found out you were a celebrity, and he… Well, it’s not every day that someone famous comes to this part of the country, you know?” He spoke a little too fast, but Baekhyun couldn’t help it. Maybe it was the nerves or the anxiety, but it was a good and valid excuse to give--at least for him, it was.  
  
“Oh…”  
  
Baekhyun blinked. Did he hear a hint of disappointment in Chanyeol’s voice or was he imagining nonsense? Shaking the feeling off, he stuffed his hands into the front pockets of his jeans and pursed his lips.  
  
“Yeah, so since he won’t have class tomorrow, maybe I can bring him over around noon and pick him up later in the evening. I have work, but I’ll make time before going back.”  
  
“Alright.” Chanyeol looked at him as if he was attempting to figure out what was so off about the situation. Maybe there was nothing off at all and the kid really  _was_  just interested in meeting a celebrity. If anything, being starstruck could’ve been the reason for why Kyungsoo was so silent and off around him. It was probably nothing and he was just overthinking.  
  
“Okay, great,” Baekhyun said, his voice a little bit too high for both of their liking. Clearing his throat, he smiled and hesitantly raised a hand to wave good-bye. “Thank you again, Yeol. Kyungsoo will be really excited to hear that you’re on-board.”  
  
“Anything for a fan,” Chanyeol said jokingly, waving back with a more sure hand. “I’m not really sure how I am with kids, so this’ll be interesting.”  
  
“I’m sure you’ll learn quick.”  
  
“If you say so.”  
  
-  
  
-  
  
“Dad?”  
  
Kyungsoo waited patiently at their small eating table for his father to respond to him, but even he could see that the brunet had something on his mind. It was only when the six year old called out again that Baekhyun finally ceased rummaging around in the kitchen in his search for a large pot and looked back to acknowledge the boy.  
  
“I’m so sorry, Soo. What did you say?” he said, apologetically.  
  
“Did you ask?”  
  
Baekhyun saw the excitement flash in the boy’s eyes despite his mannerism and tone being so calm and cautious. “Yes, I did, hon. He said that you guys can spend time together tomorrow.”  
  
“Really?”  
  
“Yes.”  
  
“Promise?”  
  
“Yes, Soo. I promise,” Baekhyun said, holding up his right pinky. In response, Kyungsoo lifted his own and they hooked their fingers together. “Are you happy?”  
  
Without skipping a beat, Kyungsoo nodded, trying to hide the tiniest smile.  
  
-  
  
-  
  
There was a little bit of guilt that creeped in the back of his mind that he never mentioned to Chanyeol about how Kyungsoo requested to spend time with all three of them and not just one-on-one alone time with him and his father. He even decided to keep that bit of information from Chanyeol. At the time, he didn’t know why he couldn’t tell the man. Maybe he was being selfish--no. He  _was_  being selfish.  
  
Distracted with his thoughts, Baekhyun jolted when he felt a hand touch his right shoulder. Turning around, he let out a sigh upon seeing Jongin’s face. “Oh...Hey.”  
  
“Hey… Are you okay?”  
  
Straightening his posture, Baekhyun fixed a smile on his face. “Yeah, I’m fine! Why do you ask?”  
  
“Nothing. You just looked a little worried before.”  
  
“Worried?” For a moment, the smile on his face faltered, yet somehow, he managed. “Ah, um, maybe. I just have a lot of things going on.”  
  
“That’s rare,” Jongin replied, giving the man a comforting look. “You never have more than a few things going on. There’s not a lot here to do, I mean.”  
  
Shrugging, Baekhyun agreed. “I know, but…”  
  
“But… Chanyeol’s in town, right?” Jongin raised his brow at the other’s expression before chuckling as he passed him to tend to the front of the stand. “I know you, Baek, and I know that face. You’ve had that face since you found out he was back.”  
  
Huffing, Baekhyun bent down and lifted a box of freshly delivered tomatoes. “He’s not  _back_. He’s just here temporarily.”  
  
“Well, yeah,” the latter said, taking a seat on a wooden stool. “But that hasn’t stopped you from acting nervous and worried whenever he’s around.”  
  
It was a slow afternoon at the market. Not a lot of folks were buying, which was expected since most worked during the day and only came by in the evening. After setting down the box at the front of the stand, Baekhyun decided to take a seat next to the younger man.  
  
“I wouldn’t expect you to understand.”  
  
“Understand what?”  
  
Baekhyun crossed his arms. “It’s just not easy to see your ex again and… you know. Interact.”  
  
Rolling his eyes, Jongin scoffed. “I’ve never been in a serious relationship, Baek, but I’m pretty sure that six years post-break up is enough time for someone to get over those types of nerves.”  
  
“This is different,” Baekhyun argued. “It’s like…”  
  
“Like what?”  
  
“It’s like when I left, it never stopped.” Pausing, the brunet looked away. “It’s like I just pause, and since he came back, everything feels like we’re just picking up where we left off… Kind of.”  
  
“Are you talking about your feelings for him?”  
  
Baekhyun was silent for a few moments, but not because the question caught him off guard. In fact, it didn’t bother him at all, almost as if he already knew that he did harbor feelings for the man who helped father his son. But to admit it to someone else besides himself was something that he hadn’t done. In the end, he decided that it didn’t matter if he admitted to his own emotions or not. Chanyeol would be gone within a week and he’d never see him again--at least, not for a very long time.  
  
After some time passed, he nodded slightly. Just enough for Jongin to notice. “Yeah… That.”  
  
Chuckling, Jongin looked away from him, combing through his hands. “I can’t say I’m not surprised. I suspected it. I mean, it wasn’t like you were very good at hiding it, either.”  
  
“Was I that obvious?” Baekhyun asked, showing some concern in his voice and stature. If he really  _was_  that transparent, then that would mean that Chanyeol could also tell how he felt… It was embarrassing, but he fought against the feeling, telling himself that he was merely overthinking it.  
  
“Kind of, but not as much as you probably think,” Jongin assured him. Then, with a smile on his face, he reached over and touched the latter’s shoulder. “But listen. It’ll be okay. Whatever it is that you’re worried about? It’ll be fine and it’ll all work out.”  
  
Sighing, Baekhyun turned his eyes towards the open sea and pondered if it really  _would_  be okay in the end. He was hoping for the best despite all his concerns with Kyungsoo and Chanyeol, thinking that maybe he was overthinking and, for once, allow himself to slowly let go.  
  
-  
  
-  
  
What did kids like to do? How was he going to keep one child entertained for at least a few hours? Most of the parents that  _he_  knew gave their children ipads or paid caretakers to keep them off their hands--as sad as that was. But Chanyeol didn’t have anything to offer, nor did he  _want_  to pass Kyungsoo off to another adult just to keep his peace and quiet at home because, for one reason or another, he was actually  _excited_.  
  
Chanyeol caught himself looking at his watch more times than he actually would’ve liked to admit to himself. Eventually, he stopped listening to the ticks and counted each wave that landed on the beach as a way to pass time as he waited in his house for Baekhyun to come around with the boy.  _His_  boy…  
  
It was still weird to think about--Baekhyun being a parent and all. But Chanyeol was beginning to settle with the idea and it began to feel natural. Of course, they weren’t the same high schoolers from before. Time had obviously passed, he had furthered his career, and Baekhyun became a father… It was just life and Kyungsoo was the proof.  
  
The sound of knocking at the door brought Chanyeol back to his senses. Rising up from his bed, he made his way over to the window and peered out. Spotting Baekhyun’s faded red bicycle leaning against the post in front of his home made him nervous. The beating in his chest was climactic and it was only the consequent knock on his door once again that broke the spell. Shaking his head, he muttered words to himself, annoyed at his boyish feelings.  
  
As he walked down the stairs, he saw Yoora wiping her hands as she exited the kitchen area and headed towards the front. He stopped her with a hand gesture. “I’ll get it,” he said before turning his back to her.  
  
Raising her brows, Yoora watched as her younger brother stood in front of the entrance for a moment in a still stance before seemingly inhaling and opening the door to the guests outside. She moved to the side to see who it was that was knocking, and was surprised to see Baekhyun with Kyungsoo standing in front of him.  
  
“Hi.” Baekhyun seemed a little stiff, but Chanyeol brushed it off. Maybe he had a hard day at work today.  
  
“Hey…” The pause that followed was longer than he would’ve liked. Snapping a smile to his face, Chanyeol moved aside and created enough space for both Baekhyun and Kyungsoo to enter his home. “Do you want to come in for a while? We have food in the back-- Well. At least, I think we do--”  
  
“Yes, we have food, Chanyeol,” Yoora said from behind him. When Chanyeol looked back at her, she was smiling with amusement in her eyes before she turned her attention to Kyungsoo. “Are you hungry, Soo?”  
  
“Yes,” Kyungsoo answered quietly, nodded his head. However, he didn’t move from where he stood. Instead, he looked up at Chanyeol.  
  
“Um, thank you, Yoora,” Baekhyun said when the six year old said nothing more. “But I think he’s been saving his appetite this entire day.”  
  
“You mean he hasn’t eaten the entire day?” Chanyeol looked concerned as he glanced down to meet the dark eyes looking at him.  
  
“Chanyeol, he…” Baekhyun pursed his lips. Lowering his voice for only Chanyeol to hear, he continued. “He wanted to eat out with you.”  
  
“Me?”  
  
“Yes,  _you_.”  
  
That was surprising, but then again, it  _was_  Kyungsoo who asked to spend the day with him--or at least a few hours. He felt touched that the six year old was excited enough to save his appetite for him, but it was still considerably new for Kyungsoo to show this much interest in him. For the longest while, he thought that he was disliked by the ever silent boy, but it seemed like he was wrong. Maybe Baekhyun was right. Maybe he was just starstrucked by him.  
  
Sensing that her presence was not needed, Yoora decided to leave the two alone. “I’ll be in the back, Yeol. Call out if you need me.”  
  
“Okay.”  
  
Her brother sounded a bit distracted, but Yoora couldn’t fault him. “Have fun you two! And make sure you feed Kyungsoo.”  
  
Chuckling, Baekhyun smiled at her. “Thanks, Yoora. I’ll give him the quick run down.”  
  
“You better. Even Chanyeol says that he’s not very good with kids!”  
  
Rolling at his sister’s attempt to discredit him, Chanyeol looked back at Baekhyun and shrugged. “I’m not as bad as she makes me sound, but the amount of experience I’ve had with kids has been...minimal.”  
  
“I can imagine,” Baekhyun replied with a little shrug of his own. “I don’t exactly see you with kids in your day to day life.”  
  
“You’re right.” It was the truth, after all. “But it’s never too late, right?”  
  
Baekhyun thought about it for a while. Chanyeol was right, but the giant just didn’t know to what extent his words were actually true. In reality, it really was never too late to start anything, even if seven years had passed in silence like a ghost to him.  
  
“Yeah… Never.” Loosening the hold he had on Kyungsoo’s shoulders, Baekhyun took a moment before gently pushing the boy a little closer to his father. “Well, I guess this is the part where I tell you two to have fun?”  
  
“I guess?” Chanyeol said, laughing. “I’ve never...done this before.”  
  
“Me either…” Biting his bottom lip, Baekhyun looked down just as Kyungsoo looked back at him. He could see confusion in the boy’s eyes, and he tried to push it off. But, being a father, it was hard to ignore the sense of betrayal that he got from the six year old. “So, um, Kyungsoo doesn’t have any food allergies, so he can eat anything. He’s also not a very picky eater, but he likes apple slices as picnic food for the beach so I brought some with me. I...trust you to keep him safe, but if there’s any emergency, just call me.”  
  
“So, I guess this is the part where I ask for your number?” Chanyeol gave him a grin, and Baekhyun tried to suppress the feelings by looking away briefly.  
  
“Yeah.” The moment felt so nostalgic of their youth, and that was something that was strongly felt, yet ignored by both. “Here, give me your phone and I’ll just give you my number.”  
  
“Sure.” Digging into his back pocket, Chanyeol grabbed his cell phone and handed it over without a thought.  
  
“Thanks,” Baekhyun mumbled as he fumbled with the device for a moment. When it woke from its power-saving mode, he was met with a text on the screen. Raising his brows, he handed it back to Chanyeol. “Chae-Yeong says she misses you.”  
  
Chanyeol cursed under his breath as he read the messages and subsequently deleted them after. “Sorry. She’s not important.”  
  
Baekhyun made no comment as he was given back the phone. This time, he made it a point to focus on inputting his information into the man’s contacts and giving it back without seeing another glimpse of his life. It was a reality that he’d rather not know about, especially not with the feelings and the nostalgic attachment that he was fighting so hard against.  
  
After pocketing the phone, Chanyeol put a hand on Kyungsoo’s shoulder, replacing where Baekhyun’s presence was once prominent. “I promise I’ll take care of him, and I’ll make sure he’ll have fun today.”  
  
The smile on Baekhyun’s face was soft and genuine. “I know.” Then, he looked at Kyungsoo, addressing the look in the boy’s eyes. “Be good, okay? Don’t forget to have fun. I’ll see you later tonight.”  
  
For the first time since they arrived, Kyungsoo spoke. “You  _promised._ ”  
  
“We’ll talk about this later, Soo,” Baekhyun responded, trying to make him understand. “I promise I’ll make it up to you.”  
  
Kyungsoo only stared back in disappointment before nodding and silently moving to Chanyeol’s side. Sighing, Baekhyun’s expression fell as he looked on from his son’s face and back towards the man in front of him. “Sorry. It’s just that I promised him I’d be joining, too, but... work.”  
  
“Right.” He half-bought the excuse, but he had a feeling as to why that excuse came up. “Well, I wish you could’ve joined us today.”  
  
The smile on Baekhyun’s face faltered for a split second, but Chanyeol caught a glimpse of it. “I know… It’s just that I really couldn’t. Not today, I mean.”  
  
“Maybe some other time then.”  
  
“Maybe.” Baekhyun paused for a second before recalling that he had a few things to hand over to his ex. In his other hand, he held a bag full of food that he had prepared prior to their ride over to the Parks’ home. “Here. I made a few dishes for both of you.”  
  
“For both of us?” Chanyeol took the offered bag. “You didn’t have to.”  
  
“Well, I didn’t think it’d be fair to make Kyungsoo’s favorites without making yours, too.”  
  
“Mine?”  
  
“Yes,  _yours_.” It was almost as if he hated to admit it. Before Chanyeol could make a comment on it, Baekhyun moved topics. “Anyways, I put an extra set of clothes in Kyungsoo’s mini backpack and some water, but I think you should carry a bit more just in case. He knows how to swim, but just keep an eye out and keep him near the shore.”  
  
“Got it.”  
  
“I… I think that’s it. Like I said, call me if anything happens.”  
  
“You have nothing to worry about,” Chanyeol said, attempting to reassure the brunet. “I promise I won’t let anything happen to Kyungsoo. He’s your son, after all.”  
  
Baekhyun opened his mouth to retort, but stopped short of his first word, deciding against what he initially wanted to say. “Just be careful, okay?”  
  
“It shouldn’t be that hard. We’re only going to the beach, right?”  
  
“I know, but--”  
  
“Relax, Baek. I got this.”  
  
“It’s not that. It’s--” Baekhyun stopped himself again. “Honestly, you’re right. I’m just worrying too much over this.”  
  
“This can’t be the first time you’re leaving him with someone else,” Chanyeol said, trying to give him a comforting smile. “Are you worried because of my lack of experience?”  
  
“Yes,” the brunet said bluntly, though it wasn’t the entire truth. “But I trust you. I really do.”  
  
“I appreciate that.”  
  
Nodding his head, Baekhyun ran a hand through his hair as he heaved a sigh, trying to relax. “Right… So, I guess I’ll go now. Mr. Lee’s expecting me to help Jongin with loading some crates and produce today, so I have to get back. I just came to drop Soo off.”  
  
“I see. Well, say hi to Jongin for me,” Chanyeol said, a bit more tight-lipped than he would’ve liked.  
  
Oblivious to the giant’s slight change in tone, Baekhyun continued to nod, distracted by his own thoughts. “I will.” As he knelt down, he cupped Kyungsoo’s face with his hands, placing a kiss on the boy’s flushed cheeks. “I know what’s in that little mind of yours, but I promise I will make it up to you. This time, I’ll keep this promise. I swear. But have fun and be careful, Soo… I mean it.”  
  
After their exchange, Baekhyun stood back up and locked eyes with Chanyeol. “Thanks again for agreeing to this. I know you didn’t have to and you are on vacation.”  
  
“To be honest with you, Baek, I don’t mind this at all.”  
  
“Really?” Baekhyun’s ears perked. It was surprising, but nice to hear. “I know how you are, Chanyeol, so I really wasn’t expecting--”  
  
“It’s fine, Baek. Really. We’ll have fun today because, unlike you, I won’t be a boring ‘dad’,” Chanyeol teased, unaware of the way that Kyungsoo inhaled sharply as the boy watched him. “I know you think I’m this crazy guy--and I am, don’t get me wrong--but I know what I’m doing.”  
  
“I hope so… Ah, I should get going now,” Baekhyun muttered as he took a glance at the watch on his wrist. “It’s almost time. I’ll see you both tonight, but if its easier for you, you can just come back here and I can pick him up. Whichever works best, but just call me and let me know.”  
  
“Sure, I’ll just text you if--”  
  
“No, no.  _Call_. It’s easier and faster that way. Plus, I don’t like texting. It takes a while.”  
  
“Oh, right.” Chanyeol forgot that the latter used an old flip phone. Maybe he should buy him a smart phone as a gift… “Then I’ll call.”  
  
“Great.” As Baekhyun turned and began to walk away, he stopped midway in the yard to turn around and wave good-bye. He didn’t expect to be so affected by the sight of Chanyeol holding Kyungsoo in front of him, but he was… It left like he was leaving behind his husband and child for the day to go to work, and it almost seemed real if it hadn’t been for the sharp realization that it was just all in his head.  
  
He continued to play it off as he walked away, pushing down his worries and the feelings that kept crashing back to his shores, and set the gears to the rusted red bike into forward motion.  
  
-  
  
-  
  
It wasn’t until some time had passed, around thirty minutes after Baekhyun had left, that Chanyeol was finally ready to leave his home. Kyungsoo was quiet and unwilling to converse as he sat in the living room, waiting for him to pack up some things that he  _thought_  were essential like some food, water bottles, and some bandages in case something minor happened like a scraped knee (plausible). But it was always a way to give him time in order to come up with questions or conversation starters that would actually intrigue the kid he was supposed to keep company until that evening.  
  
After packing up a dusty and old backpack that he had found in his room (his old high school bag), he met up with Kyungsoo who was standing by the door after sensing that his father was done. Smiling down at him, Chanyeol offered him his hand, figuring that holding the child’s hand was what responsible adults were supposed to do with children when going somewhere with them. He didn’t expect Kyungsoo to take it, thinking that the independant six year old would prefer to walk by himself, but to his surprise, Kyungsoo had no problem with holding his hand, gripping it with a tightness that caught Chanyeol off guard.  
  
As they began walking along the road and in the direction of an isolated beach near Chanyeol’s home, the silence between them had become comfortable and nothing like the tense, static silence that took place in the house. There was a feeling of calm and peace, something that seemed like such a luxury in the musician’s everyday life. The feeling of a child’s small, gentle hand tightly squeezing his own also brought a feeling of warmth that Chanyeol never thought he’d experience. After years and years of swearing off children and the very thought of a small human being derailing his life in any way, being with Kyungsoo as an adult who was responsible for his safety, Chanyeol felt fulfilled. He couldn’t understand it. It was such an odd sensation that threw him off, but there was something about that moment that Chanyeol enjoyed.  
  
Thinking that, despite the comfortable silence, he might as well attempt to try and talk to Kyungsoo, Chanyeol decided to begin talking in the hopes that the six year old would reciprocate.  
  
“So, what’re you learning about in school right now?” It was really hard trying to talk with children… But then again, he didn’t have much experience.  
  
It took a few moments before Chanyeol received any type of response. He watched as Kyungsoo’s lips pursed as if he was thinking about the question or about how he would answer. Maybe, in his little mind, he was deciding on what aspect of his young life he wanted to share with a total stranger that he only knew as “Mr. Park.”  
  
After waiting patiently, the giant was rewarded with an answer.  
  
“Pluses.” It was simply said. Nothing more, nothing less.  
  
Confused, Chanyeol cocked his head. “Pluses?”  
  
Giving a small nod, Kyungsoo confirmed. “And minuses.”  
  
Realizing that he was talking about the basics of arithmetic, Chanyeol smiled. “I see. Pretty hard stuff, huh?”  
  
“No...”  
  
“So, you’re pretty smart for your age? Smarter than all the other kids?” He had to admit that talking to Kyungsoo was amusing on his end. Then, just as he expected, the latter didn’t respond. “When your dad and I were in school, he used to be the smartest boy I knew… Everyone really liked your dad. He was always the teacher’s favorite.”  
  
Kyungsoo’s eyes grew, fascinated with the stories about his dad. Seeing this, Chanyeol felt good, as if he was finally doing something right.  
  
“In high school, he would study a lot more than the rest of our friends,” the giant continued. “Then, after school, he’d help the teachers grade papers. He was that kind of student… Ambitious, kind, and really diligent with whatever he did. You know, he even got this scholarship that he really wanted?”  
  
“What’s that?”  
  
Chanyeol thought about it, thinking of ways to explain it to a six year old. “Well, it’s like… if you study hard, people give you money. Like a reward.”  
  
“Dad got money?”  
  
Nodding, the giant responded. “Yeah. He did. He even got into a really good university with that scholarship and he…”  
  
It was by mistake that his voice began to trail off, but talking about the past was different than remembering the events in his head. Physically saying the words made the past so much more cruel and tragic. Though it was true that Baekhyun did receive a scholarship to attend one of the top tier universities in Seoul, in the end, his reality was so different than the future that he often used to talk about.  
  
“He?”  
  
Snapping out of it, Chanyeol gave the boy a smile and squeezed his hand gently. “He was just...the most amazing person that I knew.”  
  
Kyungsoo said nothing, but looked off, keeping his eyes on the path. A glimpse of sadness washed over the look in his eyes, and Chanyeol couldn’t help but wonder why.  
  
After some time, the six year old stopped walking and Chanyeol stopped immediately after. “Do…Do you…” Kyungsoo pursed his lips, his brows furrowed together. “Do you love my dad?”  
  
Of all the things to say, Chanyeol never expected those words to slip from the boy’s mouth. Shocked, he frowned. “Why?”  
  
The latter had no answer.  
  
“I mean, your dad and I, we’re old friends… Why’re you asking?”  
  
Ignoring the giant’s question, Kyungsoo asked his own. “But do you love him?”  
  
Chanyeol stared at him. It was hard to find words to say. He was completely dumbfounded. “No… No, I don’t.”  
  
It was as if he had struck the six year old with his hand. The look in Kyungsoo’s dark eyes was enough to make Chanyeol pull back. Had he done something wrong? He didn’t lie to him, and he was only answering as honestly as he could. Digging up old feelings of the past that were chasing him hard was not the same as love… But he didn’t know any better.  
  
“Kyungsoo--”  
  
“Why not?”  
  
“Why not?” Chanyeol repeated in confusion. “Because… I just don’t. Why’re you asking me this, Soo?”  
  
“Do you love someone else--”  
  
Chanyeol let go of his hand and knelt down at his level, taking the boy’s shoulders in his hands. “Kyungsoo, why are you asking me these questions?”  
  
“Because dad says that you’re--” Abruptly, he stopped his sentence. Then, he looked down at his feet. Chanyeol noticed the way he was biting down on his bottom lip harder than before, as if he was attempting to restrain himself from saying something he wasn’t supposed to say. “Dad says that you’re my…”  
  
“I’m your what?” Chanyeol’s heart began to beat faster, anticipating the worst. But in the back of his mind, there were a feeling as if he knew what the boy would say, but in reality, he was still oblivious. When Kyungsoo didn’t answer as seconds passed by, he sighed. “Listen, I’m sorry. I don’t know how you found out or if Baekhyun told you about us before, but it’s just not the same between us… Maybe you were hoping I’d say that I do still love him because you’re looking for another father or you don’t want your dad to be lonely anymore, but I can’t be that person, Kyungsoo.”  
  
Even as the words slipped from his mouth, Chanyeol wondered who he was saying it for. Was it for Kyungsoo or for himself?  
  
“I’m sorry… Maybe I should just call Baek and--”  
  
“No,” Kyungsoo said, shaking his head. “I want to go to the beach.”  
  
Chanyeol kept his words to himself. There were a million questions running through his mind, unanswered by the way Kyungsoo avoided it all with silence. Something told him that the answers Kyungsoo held back were the same that Baekhyun would be unwilling to give.  
  
As he stared into Kyungsoo’s eyes, he wondered if he had the right to know what those secrets were. It was a constant battle with himself, always wondering, always asking if he was allowed to overstep those boundaries set by the duo. Before, the answer was obvious--no, he didn’t have the right. But with every interaction, it began to show that he was more involved in the secrets than he thought before.  
  
But maybe it wasn’t the right time to ask, or maybe it was just too late to get involved with whatever it was that Kyungsoo was holding back.  
  
Ignoring the feelings he had for Baekhyun was something he found himself coping with, and with his vacation ending soon and the reality that awaited him back in Seoul, Chanyeol figured that digging into the mystery of Baekhyun’s secret would only complicate things. Constantly telling himself to leave the past in the past and continue moving on with his life was the only way Chanyeol knew how to deal with the situation. Rather than confronting it and pushing forward with it, he decided, in that moment, to leave the matter as it was. If Kyungsoo had anymore questions, he’d answer them, but for anything else beyond that, he would simply move on.  
  
Moving on was what he did best. At the age of eighteen, he left the small fishing village for bigger and better things, wanting to move out of the gray cycle that seemed to keep the past alive along its sandy shores. The way waves and currents constantly pushed boats and debris back in the direction of village, memories and secrets of the past also seemed trapped in the pull of the the town and Chanyeol found himself in the same force.  
  
Standing there, he had the option to call Baekhyun to tell him that, maybe, it was a terrible idea to be alone with Kyungsoo. But then again, the brunet was at work and Kyungsoo didn’t have any classes. On top of all that, the six year old saved his appetite for him, and that was honestly the deciding factor for Chanyeol.  
  
“Okay.” Offering his hand to Kyungsoo, Chanyeol waited until he felt the latter slip his small hand in with his. “We’ll go. We’re almost there anyways.”  
  
“I know.”  
  
“What do you mean ‘you know’?”  
  
“Dad takes me there.”  
  
Chanyeol gave him a look. “To the spot near my house?”  
  
Kyungsoo nodded. The sadness from before stayed, but it seemed like he was trying to move past it as well.  
  
“Well, I’ll tell you what. I bet he’s never taken you to ‘The Rocks’ before.” As Kyungsoo’s eyes widened, so did the smile on Chanyeol’s face. “You don’t know what that is? It’s a little farther down, but there’s some tidal pools where we can sometimes see fish or little organisms.”  
  
“Organ...Organisms…?”  
  
“Sea critters,” Chanyeol simplified.  
  
“Oh.”  
  
“Yeah. And since it’s low tide, we should be able to walk around a few and see if we can find anything. Does that sound good to you?” the giant asked. “It’s a lot more fun than just sitting on the beach and eating apple slices.”  
  
After thinking about it for a second, Kyungsoo agreed, deciding that he’d never been to a tidal pool and that it would be a nice scene of change from the usual beach visit. “Okay… I want to go to where the rocks are…”  
  
“Yeah?” And after being given a nod, Chanyeol smiled. “Okay then. Let’s go.”


	8. Changing Tides

Chanyeol was surprised by how much he enjoyed being with Kyungsoo. Even holding his small hand to make sure the little one didn’t stray too far from him on their way back to the village made the man feel protective, but at the same time, it all felt natural. Kids were never an option for him—or at least, he thought. He hated to admit that he might’ve been wrong in thinking they were all annoying, bratty and loud, but he pushed those thoughts aside the second Kyungsoo tugged on his hand, grabbing his attention.  
  
“What is it?”  
  
“Can you play music?”  
  
Raising a brow at the boy’s interest in his work, Chanyeol smiled. “I can. I can play the guitar and the piano. Want me to teach you?”  
  
“Dad listens to you,” Kyungsoo said, ignoring the latter’s question, but Chanyeol was used to it already. He was well-aware that if something was on Kyungsoo’s mind, his ears would tune out everything else and his mouth would say the words. “Not every morning, but… a lot.”  
  
If Baekhyun could only hear his son confessing his habits, Chanyeol was sure that he’d be red from embarrassment. He decided to keep the detail in mind, hoping to bring it up later to get that exact reaction. “Your dad always had good taste in men.”  
  
“What does that mean?”  
  
“Sorry. I meant music.”  
  
“Oh…” Kyungsoo bit his lower lip. “Well… You’re good at music.”  
  
“That’s nice of you to say,” Chanyeol said. Then he decided to try something. “What does your dad think of my music?”  
  
Kyungsoo glanced up at him, frowning. “Why?”  
  
Chanyeol shrugged. “Just curious.”  
  
“He thinks you’re good,” the six-year old said, looking forward, “but…”  
  
“But…?”  
  
“He says you’re better with music.”  
  
“Than what?” Chanyeol asked. Maybe it was wrong to ask things about Baekhyun through Kyungsoo, but he already knew that the brunet had too much pride to admit some things.  
  
“Your radio.”  
  
“He thinks I’m better off singing than being a radio host?” Chanyeol was a bit offended considering how he actually thought he was a pretty decent radio dj, however, he also should’ve been flattered at the fact that Baekhyun thought he was better off composing and performing his own music again. When Kyungsoo didn’t answer him, he sighed. “Tell your dad if it makes him feel any better at all, I might be going back to music.”  
  
“Okay.” After that single word, Kyungsoo went silent before tugging on Chanyeol’s hand again. “I’m tired...”  
  
It wasn’t until then that Chanyeol realized how much they had been walking the entire day, aside from the fact that they spent a good hour and a half near the tidal pools. Stopping, he looked down at Kyungsoo and tried to decide on what to do and what the boy was comfortable with. “Want me to carry you?”  
  
Without a second thought, Kyungsoo nodded, letting go of Chanyeol’s hand and opening his arms, waiting to be hoisted up. Kneeling down, Chanyeol took the boy in his arms, holding him against his chest. In turn, Kyungsoo made himself comfortable by holding on to Chanyeol’s neck and resting his head on his shoulder.  
  
They weren’t far from the village and the boy weighted like nothing to him so their situation didn’t trouble Chanyeol at all. It was comforting and nice to be needed in that sense. Over time, Kyungsoo’s silence, lack of questions and the gradual sound of his soft breathing lead Chanyeol to believe that he had fallen asleep just minutes before reaching the house.  
  
-  
  
-  
  
Baekhyun was outside his home, talking to Jongin near the gates by the time Chanyeol had arrived with Kyungsoo fast asleep. Just when he was within earshot, they finished and Jongin turned and left. His body language was tense and Baekhyun was the same, turning his back on the male, running his hand through his hair, obviously frustrated.  
  
As Chanyeol approached closer and Baekhyun saw him, his expression changed from frustration to something more repressed. “Hey.”  
  
“Hi,” Chanyeol replied, eyes glancing in Jongin’s direction before looking back to Baekhyun. “Everything okay?”  
  
“Yeah.” Redirecting his eyes to Kyungsoo and avoiding the man’s gaze, Baekhyun put a hand on his son’s back. “He must’ve been really tired if he’s fast asleep…”  
  
“He did talk a lot more than usual.” Seeing Baekhyun laugh dissolved some of the tension and awkwardness. “That’s probably why he got so tired.”  
  
“I guess I should thank you for getting him in bed earlier than usual,” Baekhyun said. Stepping forward, he reached out for his son. “Thanks for carrying him. I can take him inside from here.”  
  
“No.” The answer was unexpected--to both. Chanyeol’s hold on Kyungsoo became slightly tighter. He didn’t want to let go. “I mean… I can take him in. It’s fine. I’m already carrying him anyways and, you know, he might wake up if I transfer him over.”  
  
Baekhyun listened to the latter ramble, almost in disbelief. If he didn’t know any better, it almost sounded as if Chanyeol...cared about Kyungsoo. “Well...I guess you have a point,” he said slowly, eyeing the giant. “I’ll hold the door open for you then.”  
  
Nodding, Chanyeol followed the brunet up to the small house. However, even as they stepped inside, a part of him was still curious about what had happened with Jongin that made Baekhyun seemingly upset. He was a split second from asking again when Kyungsoo interrupted his thoughts, squirming in his sleep.  
  
Sliding the door open to Kyungsoo’s bedroom, Baekhyun entered first, heading straight to the six-year old’s bed to pull open the covers. After he finished, Chanyeol knelt down beside him and tried his best to softly put the boy in bed without waking him up.  
  
“Excuse me. Sorry,” Baekhyun softly whispered, reaching across Chanyeol to get to Kyungsoo’s shoes. “I need to take them off--”  
  
“It’s okay. I can do it.”  
  
“I--”  
  
Turning his head around to give the young father a reassuring look, Chanyeol grinned. “Baekhyun, really. Let me do it.”  
  
Pursing his lips, Baekhyun could feel his heart begin to race. Never in a million years did he ever imagine for Chanyeol to be there, taking off Kyungsoo’s shoes. Realizing he had been staring too long at his ex, Baekhyun looked away and rose up from the ground. “I’ll go get a washcloth for his face,” he said quietly as began to leave. “I’ll be back.”  
  
Chanyeol frowned as he watched Baekhyun leave. He found himself at a cross-road again, wondering where and what his boundaries were. Baekhyun already told him that everything was fine and regardless of whether or not he was lying, he just couldn’t ask him again… It wasn’t his business. It really wasn’t.  
  
After he finished taking off Kyungsoo’s shoes and put the covers back on him, Chanyeol continued to sit on the floor for a few minutes, thinking about what he should do--or if he should even do anything-- before he realized that Baekhyun hadn’t returned. Carefully getting up, he quietly left the six-year old boy’s room, sliding the door closed behind him.  
  
It was a small home, and there wasn’t a lot of places to hide. After seeing that Baekhyun wasn’t in the living room and kitchen area, he looked at the only short hall left, thought about it, and decided to overstep. “Baek?”  
  
He heard a rustling sound at the very end and walked towards it, eventually reaching the only other bedroom. The door was slide open and when he looked inside, he saw Baekhyun getting up from the floor, his back still turned to the giant.  
  
“Sorry, I couldn’t find a cloth I could use.”  
  
“It’s fine. I was just wondering where you were…” Chanyeol’s voice trailed off as he leaned against the door frame. “Are you good?”  
  
“Yeah.”  
  
Chanyeol rubbed his fingers together, fighting the urge to enter. “It doesn’t sound like it.”  
  
“I really am, Chanyeol.”  
  
“Then turn around.”  
  
He saw the way the brunet’s back tensed at the demand, and he knew all too well that Baekhyun couldn’t do as he had asked without showing his face. It was obvious that he was trying to hide his emotions. Maybe it was from the stress of parenting or something else that Chanyeol couldn’t possibly understand, but…he didn’t care.  
  
Stepping inside the room, Chanyeol took his strides up to the brunet. He put a hand on his shoulder, turning him around so he could see the latter’s face, but the second that he did, he saw Baekhyun look back at him with wet eyes that he had clearly tried to wipe away before the giant ever arrived at his bedroom.  
  
“Chanyeol--”  
  
“Why’re you crying?” Chanyeol bluntly asked, cupping his face with a gentle hand.  
  
Baekhyun tried to push his touch away but was met with a stern face. “I’m not-- This is nothing.”  
  
“It’s obviously not ‘nothing’ if you’re crying by yourself.”  
  
“There’ve just a lot of stuff on my mind lately--”  
  
“About  _what_?” He knew it was a loaded question to ask. For a second, he was unsure if he should’ve even asked, but he stood his ground, quietly waiting for Baekhyun to respond. His hopes were low, but eventually the unexpected came about and it was the last thing he was expecting.  
  
Baekhyun raised his chin higher, looking Chanyeol in the eyes. “I’ve been thinking a lot about Kyungsoo’s father… I might… I don’t know.”  
  
Chanyeol’s lips tightened. He didn’t want to think about Kyungsoo’s father--whoever  _that_  was. In fact, he was jealous and he wasn’t even going to try and hide that fact to himself. Dropping his hand from Baekhyun’s face, he cocked his head, keeping their eyes locked onto one another’s. “What about him? Is he bothering you?”  
  
It was ironic to Baekhyun, but he shook his head nonetheless. “He’s… I guess you could say he’s in town.”  
  
“You said that you didn’t even know who he was. Said that Kyungsoo happened because…” Chanyeol stopped. He hated thinking about Kyungsoo in that way. Granted their time together was rather limited, but was it stupid to say that he felt like there was something there? He cursed. “You know what I mean, Baek… I thought he wasn’t in your lives.”  
  
“He’s not… I guess I should say  _wasn’t_.”  
  
“Wasn’t? Then does that mean you’re intending on changing that?”  
  
“That’s what I was thinking about,” Baekhyun muttered in response, turning to his side and taking a seat on the edge of his bed, leaving Chanyeol standing in front of him. “And… I lied. I do know him. We used to be close.”  
  
 _Close_... Chanyeol looked away, putting a hand behind his neck. He didn’t want to hear anymore of it, but at the same time, he also wanted to know more because he cared. How could he not care about someone he felt so much for when they were younger? Baekhyun now had a son, but it was all still the same. The feelings were there, buried and constantly suppressed by years and separation. He knew they both tried their damn hardest to ignore it, but it was something that neither of them could box away like the rest of their memories…  
  
“Baek--”  
  
“I’m going to tell him,” Baekhyun blurted out, cutting the giant off. He looked so troubled and conflicted. Even his voice wavered at his decision, but even Chanyeol knew that he was already committed to the idea. “He should know.”  
  
“That’s great… Really.” Chanyeol averted his eyes elsewhere, breaking eye contact. “Kyungsoo should have two parents. I’m not saying that you’re not enough, but I’m sure that it’d help you both.”  
  
Sighing, Baekhyun fell back, landing on his bed. He stared at the dark ceiling for a few seconds before closing his eyes. “It’s not for me. It’s for Soo.”  
  
“I know.”  
  
He felt the bed dip beside him and peeked over to see that Chanyeol had sat down next to where he laid. “How would you feel if you had a son you didn’t know about?”  
  
Chanyeol was silent for a few moments, quietly wondering about the situation to himself. His initial thoughts were almost like instinct and natural, but as he thought about it--and of Kyungsoo-- he began to feel differently.  
  
“If we’re being honest, I’d be angry. Really angry.” Baekhyun opened his mouth to respond, but Chanyeol interrupted. “But… knowing Kyungsoo, I think after all that, I’d be happy.”  
  
“Really?” Baekhyun asked, watching him carefully.  
  
Looking back down on him, Chanyeol nodded. “I like Soo… I’m a bit jealous. Never actually thought I’d say that, especially since I never actually plan on having any kids… Don’t know why. I just am. But hey, if you’re going to get in contact with him soon, then I think it’s for the best—”  
  
Pushing himself upright, Baekhyun sat up, grabbing Chanyeol by the hand before the latter would leave the bed. He never planned to say anything about Kyungsoo’s father to him, but aside from his own conflicts, Jongin’s visit ultimately made him realize that Chanyeol was someone who he just couldn’t erase. One way or another, he needed to know. Even if he’d end up hating him, Chanyeol needed to know about Kyungsoo.  
  
“Yeol--”In his dreams, confessing the truth was easy; however, in reality, Baekhyun was terrified. “I’m such a coward, but you have to understand. You and I weren’t in a good place-- _you_ especially. I was just doing what I thought would be best and…Chanyeol, Kyungsoo’s… He’s--”  
  
“He’s mine, isn’t he?” Turning to him, Chanyeol spoke again, his voice shaking. “I’m his father.”  
  
Baekhyun bit his bottom lip hard. Words couldn’t find their way out into the world. Nodding, the brunet confirmed. “I wanted to tell you--”  
  
 _“When?”_  He was furious, and Baekhyun could see it in his eyes. “Cause the perfect time to tell me would’ve been the exact moment you found out.”  
  
“That’s exactly what I tried to do!” Baekhyun said, defending himself. “The second I found out, I thought of you… I  _always_  thought of you.”  
  
“Then why didn’t you?”  
  
Baekhyun looked at him with hurt eyes. “I went back to see you, but your people wouldn’t let me. They said you were too busy. I even asked them for your phone number so I could call you, but they just made me feel like some crazy ex-boyfriend.”  
  
“They never told me that you tried to see me--”  
  
“Why would they?” Baekhyun interjected. “They always thought I was a bad look for your image, anyways. What good is a rockstar if they’re already tied down?”  
  
Cursing, Chanyeol rose up from the bed. “You had  _years_... You had all this time while I was here for this goddamn vacation to tell me.”  
  
“I know--”  
  
“Instead, you just kept lying to my face about who his father was… You even said he was the product of a goddamn one night stand.” Turning around, Chanyeol headed towards the door to leave. Rising from the bed, Baekhyun ran after him. “My son. A product of a one night stand. Really, Baek?”  
  
“Yeol—”  
  
“Six years… Six  _fucking_  years that he didn’t know he had another parent.” Chanyeol reached the end of the hall and looked at the door that led to Kyungsoo’s room. “Did you even tell him about me?”  
  
“I did, but Yeol, he—”  
  
 _“Shit.”_  Turning his back to his ex, Chanyeol reached for the front door, pulling it open. He stepped outside with the intent of closing the door behind it had Baekhyun not intervened and pursued after him. “I don’t think you had any idea--”  
  
“I do,” Baekhyun interrupted, keeping up with the male. “I do have an idea because I’ve been thinking about this every single fucking time he comes up to me and asks why he only has  _one_ parent. One, Chanyeol… I  _have_  thought about contacting you again. In every way, I imagined how you’d react and now  _this_? This is exactly how I thought you’d be. I knew you’d feel overwhelmed--”  
  
“Oh, I’m not overwhelmed, Baekhyun,” Chanyeol retorted, turning back to face the brunet. “I’m not overwhelmed about the  _thought_  of being a father to Kyungsoo… It’s the fact that you kept this from me for seven years.  _Seven!_  And Kyungsoo? He probably thought I didn’t care about him this entire time. Not just now, but his entire life.”  
  
“He never thought you that way--”  
  
“And how do you know? Cause he never said anything about it?” Running a hand through his hair, Chanyeol scowled up at the sky. “Believe it or not, he’s actually capable of keeping things to himself. He managed to keep the entire thing a secret from me, didn’t he? Wouldn’t it make sense for him to feel like I’ve just been a shitty father who didn’t give a fuck about him enough to be in his life? I don’t know about you, but I sure as hell would feel that way.”  
  
“I’ve tried to fill every role that Kyungsoo needed in his life, Chanyeol… With or without you, he had me.”  
  
“But you kept him from having  _me_  in his life.”  
  
Baekhyun furrowed his brows. “I had good reasons why I chose to keep you away from him.”  
  
“And what’re those reasons?” Chanyeol challenged. “Why did you decide on behalf of the both of us to keep us seperated?”  
  
“Because you would’ve left him!” Baekhyun said, his voice wavering. “You would’ve just tossed him to the side the second you got tired of playing ‘dad’.”  
  
Chanyeol stared at him with a blank expression before walking up to the brunet until they were practically chest-to-chest. “I was a stupid kid back then. You know I’ve changed. And yet, that wasn’t good enough for you until what? Until Jongin showed up at your front door? What? Is he your fucking boyfriend or something--”  
  
Pressing a finger against the giant’s chest, Baekhyun fought back. “Exactly! A stupid fucking kid who couldn’t even take care of himself without me taking care of him and his hangovers!” he said, hotly. “You were coming home drunk practically every night smelling like someone else and you expect me back then to tell you? A few years later, you’re in and out of rehab--yeah. I know about that, too… You were just so unstable, Chanyeol, but you’re right. You have changed and I see that. I just couldn’t risk it.”  
  
“So then why tell me now?”  
  
“Because… I realized you are his father, and you’re the only father he wants. I need to get over my fears that you’ll leave him.” He almost said  _‘us’_  but managed to stop himself. “That’s why… That’s why I’m letting you now now so that  _he_  doesn’t have to keep pretending like he doesn’t know who you are… So that  _you’ll_  realize that every time he asks you about you, he’s just trying to figure out who his father is exactly.”  
  
It took a few moments for Baekhyun to notice how close they had actually gotten to each other. He staggered back, drawing his eyes away in an attempt to break the intense air around them, but to no avail. Chanyeol only closed the gap once more, lifting the brunet’s chin up towards him.  
  
“Did you honestly think I would leave him if you ever told me?” There was hurt in his voice and it stung Baekhyun. It was his fault. “Because I won’t. Before you even told me, I said that I was jealous of the bastard who’d be his dad--even if we never spent that much time together. That’s how much he’d grown on me already… Because he’s your son and he’s a part of you. Everything  _about_  him reminded me of you, Baek...”  
  
“You can’t honestly say that I was stupid for thinking you’d still be an asshole,” Baekhyun said quietly. His throat was dry, making it so damn hard to talk without sounding weak… “You’ll never understand how much you hurt me back then. I didn’t want the same thing to happen to Kyungsoo. The disappointment, the sadness-- As long as he was mine, I was never going to let him feel those things.”  
  
“Baek--”  
  
“But you know what? Keeping him from you is actually doing just that. He’s constantly disappointed that you don’t know. He’s  _upset_  that he can’t call you ‘dad’, which I know he’s dying to do… So, if he’ll be happy, then fine.” He moved Chanyeol’s hand away from him. “Just don’t hurt him anymore than I have when all I wanted to do was protect him.”  
  
“I would never hurt him.”  
  
“Promises are easy to make, Chanyeol… They’re a lot harder to keep.”  
  
“Listen, I fucked up when it came to you,” the giant said in a low voice. He felt his chest tighten, fighting hard to keep his voice stable. “I know I did. I regret it  _so_  much—you have no fucking idea, Baekhyun... But when I say I won’t hurt him, you have to trust me.”  
  
“He’s my baby, Yeol—”  
  
“He’s mine, too… and I think you should start getting used to having my opinions matter when it comes to him. That means having to trust me.”  
  
Looking back at the house, Baekhyun thought about the boy sleeping in his small room. Everything he had done up until that point was all for him, and it had been fine. However, time passed and Kyungsoo got older, asking for answers Baekhyun was never prepared to give.  
  
He had done something he never thought he’d do, and it felt as if he had knocked down everything he had ever built in order to protect the one person he loved.  
  
“When can I tell him?”  
  
Whipping his head back to his ex, Baekhyun frowned. “When would be the best for you?”  
  
“Whenever you feel like it’s appropriate.”  
  
“I’ve been making decisions for him all his life. I’ll let you decide when you want to start your relationship with him.” It was hard to talk about but they both knew that it truly was ultimately up to Chanyeol. “Just not tonight…please.”  
  
Reluctantly, the giant nodded. He understood the emotional strain of that night and agreed. “Some other time… I’ll tell him when it’s a better time.”  
  
“Okay…”  
  
Taking a quick glance at his watch, Chanyeol checked the time and, in frustration, cursed at the sky. “I want to stay here with you and talk to you. As angry as you make me, I’d rather be here arguing with you than go home and take care of Sehun for Yoora.”  
  
Shaking his head, Baekhyun rubbed the bridge of his nose. “It’s fine. We’ll...discuss details some other time. Go home and take care of your nephew.”  
  
“I want to be here and take care of my  _son._ ”  
  
“Chanyeol, he has gone six years of his life without you. Waiting until tomorrow won’t make much of a difference.”  
  
-  
  
-  
  
Their first dinner together as an  _actual_  family was awkward and unplanned. No one knew that he had told Chanyeol the truth, but the tension between them was so rough, it was hard to miss especially with all the brash glances they threw at each other.  
  
Yoora almost felt guilty for inviting Baekhyun over, but she had been oblivious of any new bad blood between him and her brother. He was reluctant in accepting the invitation and Yoora could tell that he was only partially there due to Kyungsoo’s eagerness to be near Chanyeol (and Sehun), yet it still didn’t make much sense to her. The two of them seemed perfectly fine the other day when Baekhyun dropped Kyungsoo off to be in her brother’s care for the afternoon and evening. Thinking that it was most likely Chanyeol’s fault, she could only give her best effort in trying  _not_  to seem extremely annoyed with him.  
  
Even Kyungsoo could sense that something was a bit wrong. His attention was so focused on his dad that he missed Chanyeol looking his way, and Sehun was far too oblivious to really notice anything at all and continuously tried to get Kyungsoo’s attention by tugging on his arm.  
  
“Baekhyun.” Everyone’s eyes shifted to the end of the table where Chanyeol’s father sat. “Will you be coming with me to the rice field on Monday?”  
  
The change in conversation was refreshing. It was tiring talking about the weather and the market. Neither of those things changed often enough to be interesting for any sort of discussion, but it was made worse by the events of the night prior. He could feel Chanyeol constantly staring at him and he knew that it the musician’s entire family could also see it, but were too cautious to ask.  
  
Nodding, Baekhyun gave the man a smile. “Yes. I’ve already told Mr. Lee about it and he’s pretty much used to it by now, so Jongin will cover for me until then.”  
  
“Good, because I need all the help I can get this year. There’s less help since a few of the young ones took off for Seoul.”  
  
It was expected. Every year it got harder and harder for Mr. Park to tend his rice farm, especially during planting season because the high schoolers who often worked for him needed to move on. It was just a part of life and he always wished them the best of luck. Knowing this, Baekhyun always took it upon himself to help every year, leaving to the farm for two--sometimes three--days. He’d always leave Kyungsoo with his parents, sometimes even Yoora since Sehun enjoyed the sleepovers, but with Chanyeol in the picture, he figured that maybe he should leave their son with  _him_  this year…  
  
“I want to help.” Baekhyun’s eyes darted across the table where Chanyeol sat. The latter looked at him for a second before looking back at his father. “I’ll go up to the farm with you, too.”  
  
Having Chanyeol with him was the last thing that he expected and Baekhyun knew that he was only doing so for reasons other than just helping his own father. Turning his eyes down at his food, the brunet stared at the fish head in his soup. Oddly enough, it was as if the dead thing was judging him, almost with pity.  
  
“Oh, that’s exciting!” his mother commented, excited to see her son try to dig back to the roots of his youth. “It’s been so long. I don’t know if I’ll have the proper boots for you. Maybe I’ll find something in the shed. Yoora? Do you think your husband might have a pair he could let Chanyeol borrow?”  
  
Glaring at her brother, Yoora responded back to her mother politely with a slight undertone that only Chanyeol caught. “Maybe. I’ll have to ask him and get back to you on that.”  
  
“I might have an extra pair,” Mr. Park said, cutting into the conversation. “I’ll see if I can get it for you tomorrow.”  
  
“Great.”  
  
 _Great._  Baekhyun closed his eyes momentarily. He didn’t know what Chanyeol was planning, but he wasn’t feeling too great about it either. Feeling Kyungsoo’s hand touch his, the brunet’s attention broke from his thoughts and went straight to the six-year old.  
  
“What is it, Soo?” he asked.  
  
“Sehun wants to play.”  
  
“Oh… Well, are you finished?”  
  
The boy nodded, showing his dad his clean bowl and neatly placed sticks. Giving him a gentle rub on the back, Baekhyun allowed him to be excused. Excited, Sehun jumped out of his seat and took Kyungsoo’s hand.  
  
“Let’s go upstairs and play pirates!”  
  
“Okay.”  
  
Baekhyun couldn’t tell if the boy was actually enthused or not. It was pretty hard to tell, but when the children had gone, he looked at his own dishes and found that he didn’t have much appetite left. Between the fact that everything was so complicated and the prospects of being alone with Chanyeol for a few days didn’t seem all too appealing, not a lot of things stay well with him. Nonetheless, he forced himself to eat the rest as he wondered what was going through Chanyeol’s head.  
  
-  
  
-  
  
Baekhyun offered to wash the dishes in the back kitchen with Yoora when it came to clean, leaving Chanyeol in the dining area with his father to discuss things pertaining to farming and what he needed to do. Despite growing up in the same place, the giant seemed to have forgotten all the summers they went up to the farm. Letting out a sigh, he scrubbed the thin ceramic dish in his hand harder. The sponge he was using was so worn down, he was practically washing it with his hand. Maybe he’d stop by Yixing's store and buy them a new one. He felt bad.  
  
Noticing the way the brunet was washing, Yoora frowned and stopped him, touching his hand. “You’re going to break the plate if you keep that up, you know.”  
  
“Right. I’m sorry,” Baekhyun replied, giving her an apologetic smile. “I’ll be careful.”  
  
“Uh huh.”  
  
Turning his head to her, Baekhyun cocked his head. “What?”  
  
“Nothing,” Yoora said, shrugging. “I’m not saying anything.”  
  
 _“Uh huh.”_  Baekhyun laughed when the older woman hit him on the arm with a wet hand. “Did I really deserve that?”  
  
“Yeah—because you’re acting weird. That idiot of a brother is, too.” The mere mention of Chanyeol dampened the playful mood in a second. Deciding to push it further, Yoora glanced over before grabbing another dish. “So, what happened? Why’re you two like this?”  
  
“What’re you talking about? We’ve always been like this since he got here.”  
  
“That’s not true and you know it.”  
  
Should he tell her? Baekhyun honestly didn’t know when to tell everyone else. The sooner, the better…  
  
“I told him.”  
  
Confused, Yoora stopped washing. “Told him what?”  
  
Baekhyun stopped, giving her a look. “I  _told_  him.”  
  
It took a few seconds, but then it clicked and Yoora dropped the dish back into the sink. Baekhyun flinched at the sound, but latter didn’t seem to notice anything else in the midst of her shock. “He  _knows_!? When did you tell him? Yesterday? Baekhyun, is that why he kept looking at you? Well, fuck.”  
  
Baekhyun blinked. Yoora rarely cursed.  
  
“Was he angry?”  
  
Remembering their fight from the night before, Baekhyun was pretty sure that Chanyeol was more than just angry. It was justified and it was something that he had feared for a long time, but it wasn’t as terrible as the other scenarios he had prepared for. “He was…but it’s not like I was expecting him to be completely fine with it.”  
  
Yoora was silent. Then, she asked, “What does he think about Kyungsoo?”  
  
“He said he cared for him, so I think that’s a start… He wasn’t put off by the idea of being a father. Just pissed at me for never telling him.”  
  
“Really?” She looked a bit shocked, which didn’t surprise Baekhyun at all. “Every time I talk to him about Sehun, he makes a comment about how he doesn’t want kids. He makes it seem like he  _hates_  the idea. He loves Sehun, but to be honest, I thought it was only because he was his nephew. He basically  _had_  to love him.”  
  
“I know.” And maybe it was that way for Kyungsoo, too… That Chanyeol  _had_  to love and care for him, similar how he felt towards Sehun. For now, it seemed like obligatory love, but Baekhyun had a feeling that over time, it’d be more natural—at least, he hoped. “But I’m giving him a chance for Kyungsoo’s sake.”  
  
“That’s good… I’m proud of you.” Yoora smiled. Then, she picked up the dish she had dropped as they tried to finish the last ones in the sink. “Can I tell Sehun that Kyungsoo’s his cousin, then? He’d be pretty excited.”  
  
“I guess that’s one good thing to come out of this.”  
  
“They’re practically brothers.”  
  
Laughing, Baekhyun had to admit that they were. Especially since Sehun always asked where Kyungsoo was all the time or just whenever he saw the brunet. “They were honestly raised together.”  
  
“Basically.”  
  
Finishing the last of them, Yoora washed her hands and quickly dried them off using a cloth on the side. “Well, that’s it. And hey, listen. Sorry about tonight. I didn’t know.”  
  
“It’s okay. I didn’t expect you to.”  
  
“If you need anything, just let me know. I won’t tell my parents until you’re ready.”  
  
Shaking his head, Baekhyun waved it off. “It’s alright. Go ahead. I think it’d make it easier on everyone if we’re all on the same page.”  
  
“That would actually be great because they’d be so h—” Yoora stopped herself when she noticed Chanyeol brooding figure standing in the doorway behind them. Clearly her throat, she touched Baekhyun’s arm and nodded in the giant’s direction. “I’m going to go check up on Sehun and Kyungsoo upstairs. I’ll leave you two alone.”  
  
“Yoora—” Baekhyun called out, but she continued to leave him, only stopping in front of Chanyeol momentarily.  
  
“So much for never planning on having kids, huh?”  
  
The brunet expected the latter to glare his sister. It  _was_  a sensitive topic and Yoora’s comment was everything  _but_  that. Contrary to what he expected, Chanyeol only rolled his eyes, scoffing.  
  
“Can you shut up? You’re annoying.”  
  
Yoora shrugged, patting the man on the back before she went on her way. “And you’re stupid—but it’s okay. Your son took after Baekhyun in the brains department.”  
  
Baekhyun tried to keep a straight face, but in the end, he couldn’t help but grin at the remark. The giant didn’t seem to mind and even let Yoora go without retaliating. The light-hearted joke put him slightly more at ease than before.  
  
Giving his full attention back to Baekhyun, Chanyeol cocked his head. “I would’ve argued with her, but I had a feeling that she was probably right.”  
  
“I’m not saying she’s  _wrong_ ,” Baekhyun responded. “But anyways, what can I do for you? Or were you just passing through to the back—”  
  
“Actually…“ his ex said, softly interrupting him, “I wanted to talk to you about something.”  
  
Baekhyun wanted to guess at what it was, trying to read the latter’s thoughts through his dark eyes and body language, but it was difficult. However, he got a weird feeling it wouldn’t be good so he silently braced himself for whatever it was that Chanyeol had to say.  
  
“What is it?”  
  
“I’ve been thinking since yesterday… about us.” The brunet froze. Before he could answer back, Chanyeol continued. “I thought really hard about Kyungsoo, too. I want to build a relationship with him.”  
  
“Of course.” He could feel his throat drying up, but Baekhyun tried his best to ignore it.  
  
“So, I want to tell him tomorrow. I’ll pick him up from school and take him to get ice cream by Yixing's. We’ll talk and I’ll find a way to tell him.”  
  
Why was it so hard to hear the things Chanyeol was saying? Baekhyun had been expecting it for so long, but as the giant spoke, it was all becoming a harsh, new reality.  
  
“I understand.”  
  
“I’m going to spend as much time with him as possible, but I’ll be going back to Seoul next week… And I thought it over so much last night, but, Baek, I…” Chanyeol’s jaw locked, making it evident that he found the next part difficult to say. For a split moment, his eyes diverted elsewhere until he exhaled and turned back to look the brunet straight in his face. Stuffing his hands in the front pockets of his jeans, he finally gathered up the courage to blurt out the three words that Baekhyun feared from the very beginning. “I want custody.”


	9. Homecoming

Spotify Playlist—[ _And Then There Was You_](https://open.spotify.com/user/exobubz/playlist/7AduuJSVPSqmvhq7CTY2vW?si=FqFO80rvTVqz_LHA6zfOPA)

 

* * *

He always thought about what life would be like to share Kyungsoo’s time and childhood with Chanyeol, but the reality of it made him utterly and completely upset. It was selfishness and his need to constantly protect Kyungsoo from the pain that surrounded Chanyeol’s life that always kept him on his edge, but at the same time, Chanyeol was right. He deserved the chance and Baekhyun had to learn to let go, even for a short while…  
  
They hadn’t discussed the terms of the shared custody yet, but Baekhyun didn’t want to think about it just then. He was hoping for the most amicable agreement, because if it wasn’t, then they’d have to get multiple people involved, including Kyungsoo. Aside from the fact that Baekhyun wanted to keep the six-year old away from the ugliness that could  _possibly_  arise, he also knew that Chanyeol had the money and the backing to successfully get his way if he wanted; however, he was certain that his ex would never let it get to that point.  
  
Pulling an old backpack from the back of his closet, Baekhyun began packing for the two-day trip up to the farm. He had already prepared Kyungsoo’s belongings and has given it to his parents, and the boy already knew to walk with Sehun after school for the next two days until they reached their grandparents’ homes. Usually, he didn’t worry much about Kyungsoo, but with Chanyeol around, he was a little more stressed than in the years past.  
  
It was slightly raining when Baekhyun opened the front door to check the weather. He had heard raindrops through his window, but wasn’t sure what the exact conditions were. It wasn’t entirely terrible, but he made sure Kyungsoo was prepared when he turned around and entered his son’s room where the little one was sitting on the edge of his bed, pulling on socks over his feet.  
  
“It’s raining today, but only a little bit. You’ll have to wear your raincoat today,” the brunet said as he walked to the closet. “Make sure you wear your boots, too. I already packed your shoes and slippers in the bag I’m going to give grandma when the rain stops later today and tomorrow.”  
  
“Okay.”  
  
Baekhyun grabbed the rain coat from its hanger. When he looked back, he saw Kyungsoo waiting patiently for him. “I’ll be back Thursday night. Grandma said she’ll make you your favorite meals while you’re with her.” As he put the coat on him, Baekhyun met his eyes, giving him a smile. “And I forgot to tell you, but Chanyeol’s going to walk you to grandma’s house after school today before we get on the bus.”  
  
Kyungsoo lit up. “Really?”  
  
Nodding, Baekhyun showed him a bill for ten thousand won. “He might take you to Uncle Yixing’s store, so if you want to buy anything, just let Chanyeol know and give him this. He’ll give it to Uncle Yixing, okay?”  
  
In class, they hadn’t learned about money yet, so Kyungsoo didn’t fully understand what he could and couldn’t buy with the bill, but he nodded anyways and put the money in the front pocket of his raincoat before snapping the button and closed the opening. “Dad?”  
  
“Hm?”  
  
“Why is Mr. Park walking me?”  
  
As he zipped up the front of the jacket, Baekhyun shrugged. “He told me that he had so much fun with you the other day,” he said, noticing the small smile forming on the latter’s face. “He also has something important he wants to tell you.”  
  
“About what?” Kyungsoo asked, the look on his face full of curiosity.  
  
“I… don’t want to ruin the surprise for you,” Baekhyun answered. Then he laughed when Kyungsoo’s expression changed by the slightest. “We’ll talk about it some more when we  _both_  get back on Thursday..”  
  
The six-year old heaved a sigh.  
  
Raising a brow, Baekhyun cocked his head. “What is it?”  
  
“Nothing.”  
  
“It’s not ‘nothing’ if you’re going to sigh in front of me like that,” the brunet softly said, tucking a loose hair behind the boy’s ear. “You can tell me.”  
  
It took a moment. Kyungsoo dropped his gaze to the floor before raising it back up and voicing his concern. “Will he ever know?”  
  
“Yes.” Baekhyun gave him a reassure look. “I promise you, he will.”  
  
“You broke your promise last time.”  
  
“I know, but… This time will be different. I swear.”  
  
“Okay…” The answer was hesitant, but after a few seconds, he seemed more at ease. “I believe you.”  
  
“Good. Now…” Turning around, Baekhyun grabbed Kyungsoo’s backpack which was lying next to the bottom of his bed. He gently put it on his son before standing up and helping him on his feet. “Let’s go put on your rainboots and my umbrella. We can walk through the puddles today.”  
  
“I like puddles.”  
  
“So do I.”  
  
“Does dad like puddles, too?” Kyungsoo asked.  
  
Baekhyun stopped and thought about it. “He might, but I’m not too sure. He probably thinks he’s too good for puddles.”  
  
“Too good?”  
  
Laughing, Baekhyun grabbed the six year old’s hand and started leading him to the front entrance. “I mean, he probably wouldn’t like to get his shoes all dirty. That’s just the type of person he is now.”  
  
“Mmm.. Okay.” Kyungsoo diligently put on his boots. Once Baekhyun pulled his raincoat hood over his head, he stepped outside, hopping on the first muddy puddle he saw near the front porch of their small home. “Maybe I can make dad like puddles.”  
  
The hopefulness in his voice was a pleasant surprise. Baekhyun smiled as he opened his umbrella.  
  
-  
  
-  
  
After he dropped Kyungsoo off at school, Baekhyun decided to walk a little further out to the harbor and stop by the market to pick up last minute items his mother had requested he get. UnNot surprisingly, there were very few people at the market due to the rain. In the horizon, he could see local fishermen making their way back to the port and Baekhyun couldn’t blame them. Rain usually made things more difficult.  
  
As he walked through, he went to each stand one by one until he reached Lee’s where Jongin was rolling out the plastic tarps to keep the vegetables from getting soaked.  
  
“Morning,” Baekhyun said, greeting the male as he approached the stand. “Slow day?”  
  
Scoffing, Jongin nodded. “It’s always slow during days like this. I’m thinking about just closing the stand around noon and come back if the rain stops, but it’s not looking good right now.”  
  
“I never liked working on days like this,” the brunet replied, picking out a few tomatoes that he liked and putting it on the scale set near the vegetables and fruits. “However, if you’re going to be closing it soon, I suppose that means you get the rest of the day off.”  
  
“I guess that’s the bright side to it,” Jongin said, shrugging as he prepared a thin plastic bag for Baekhyun’s picks. “So, enough about the weather.”  
  
Pursing his lips, Baekhyun furrowed his brows. “What do you mean?”  
  
“You know what I meant, Baek.” Taking the tomatoes from the scale and putting them in the bag, Jongin wrapped the end and handed it over back to the smaller male. “Did you tell him?”  
  
“I did.”  
  
“And?”  
  
“He was...everything I expected him to be.” It was the simplest answer to give without going too entirely into details, and Baekhyun wanted to keep those private or, at least, between him and his ex. “But overall, it went decently civil.”  
  
“That’s good to hear,” Jongin said to him, pausing for a moment as their eyes kept still on one another’s… “Listen. About the other day, I’m sorry--”  
  
“No, it’s okay!” Baekhyun quickly said, shaking his head. “It’s fine. Don’t worry about it.”  
  
“I didn’t mean to--”  
  
“Jongin.” Stopping him again, the brunet smiled as he put a hand up. “We can just forget it ever really happened if it’ll make you feel better.”  
  
Giving him a lopsided grin, Jongin shrugged indifferently. “I mean, not really, but I don’t mind doing that either… Are we okay?”  
  
“Yeah, we are.”  
  
“Good, because that saves us a lot of awkwardness. So, did you want anything else or did you just want that?” Jongin nodded at the bag. “Lee told me to give you as much as you wanted since he knows it’s for Soo, anyways.”  
  
“I think this is alright for now, but I’ll be sure to thank him later this week when I see him.” Baekhyun stood in his place for a few seconds, letting the silence pass. He had a difficult time trying to ignore the slightly awkward tension between them by conversation alone. Ultimately, he sighed. With time, it’d fade, but in that moment, he figured it was time to leave. Maybe in a few days it’d be better, but he had little to no options at that point.  
  
Giving his co-worker a smile, Baekhyun waved good-bye before he turned around and began walking down the rest of the market to pick up the other things he had in mind.  
  
-  
  
-  
  
 _“You’re coming back after this weekend, right?”_  
  
Chanyeol sighed, focusing his eyes on the dark brown ceiling of his bedroom. “Well, that’s the plan,” he replied, purposely omitting the fact that certain  _unplanned_  things had come up. “Can’t go into specifics, but I have to take care of some business. I’ll try and be back by Sunday night.”  
  
 _“Good, because I honestly can’t deal with Junmyeon anymore. He’s constantly asking me if I want to hang out.”_  
  
“Maybe he likes you,” Chanyeol muttered.  
  
 _“Or maybe he literally has no friends and he’s missing you around the studio more than I am,”_ Jongdae argued back.  _“But anyways, I just wanted to update you on a few things. Jessica called the receptionist again. There’s also been some tabloid news about Irene being back in Korea from filming in Hong Kong.”_  
  
He stopped for second before sitting upright on his bed. “She is?”  
  
 _“I guess so. You should call her up soon.”_  
  
“Maybe when I get back...” Although he didn’t necessarily have any plans to do so, Chanyeol made the point in order to move away from the topic as quickly as he could. Thinking about Irene wasn’t what he wanted to mentally prepare himself for, at least not when he was tasked with picking up Kyungsoo from school in the next thirty minutes. “I don’t really want to talk about work or whatever this is right now. Just let my manager handle things.”  
  
 _“Right, right. I’ll leave you to it, then. I’m guessing that since I barely hear from you that you’re actually having fun out there in the middle of nowhere.”_  
  
“You could say that, but anyways. I’ll tell you about it later.”  
  
 _“Fine,”_ Jongdae said, undetecting of the troubled tone in Chanyeol’s voice.  _“I’ll see you next week.”_  
  
As they disconnected, Chanyeol was left in the silence of his space once more, attempting to sort everything out in his head in the hopes that things would seem less cluttered than they actually were. After hours and hours of contemplating, he still hadn’t figured out a way to properly (and smoothly) let Kyungsoo know that he knew. He was already aware that the little boy knew he was his father and it shouldn’t have been such a hard task to waste time overthinking, but he was--admittedly--very nervous.  
  
Aside from revealing himself to Kyungsoo, Chanyeol was also heavily considering asking both Kyungsoo  _and_  Baekhyun to stay with him in Seoul for, in the very least, the Christmas holidays. It was a stupid idea. Chanyeol was almost embarrassed  _thinking_  about asking them… He didn’t want his gesture to seem superficial, as if he only wanted them there for the sake of having a plastic sense of “family”. That wouldn’t be fair to any of them, especially Kyungsoo. In fact, it was less of a friendly gesture to create an amicable relationship with Baekhyun and more so an attempt to start something new.  
  
Of all the things he had unexpected (besides being a father) was Irene. He had forgotten all about her--as he did with all his other flings. However, she was different and unlike the rest. Maybe he was an asshole to lead her on, but it was a mistake to give her more of his attention than he had given any one of his other companions. He’d have to end things soon before bringing Kyungsoo and Baekhyun back into his life, but his disorganized and uncommitted lifestyle seemed to be catching up to him faster than he could outrun.  
  
Pushing himself off the bed, Chanyeol walked over his wardrobe and pulled out a simple outfit. Wondering if he should give Kyungsoo some sort of gift, his eyes quickly darted over to his suitcase before he ultimately decided that a six year old wouldn’t need a Rolex or whatever accessory he had stashed within the luggage’s pockets. Instead, he made a note to himself to tell Kyungsoo to make a Christmas list of everything and anything he wanted for Christmas.  
  
After dressing himself, he made his way downstairs where he was met with Yoora and his mother talking near the entrance. As soon as his presence was known, their eyes immediately moved to meet his own. It took no more than a second for Chanyeol to realize that his mother knew.  
  
“Did everyone in this family know except me?”  
  
His mother was sympathetic. A slight dash of guilt was somewhere buried in her eyes, but she nodded nonetheless. “Baekhyun wanted to keep Kyungsoo safe.”  
  
“Safe…” Chanyeol said, repeating the word slowly. “Safe from  _me_.”  
  
Crossing her arms, Yoora sighed. “Baekhyun called to let me know that it’s okay for me to tell mom so I did. And yes, we all knew, but we were only respecting what he wanted.”  
  
“And what about what  _I_  wanted?”  
  
“What you wanted was no kids,” Yoora reminded him. “So, basically, we granted your wish. You’re welcome.”  
  
Chanyeol threw her a look before rolling his eyes and walking down the stairs. He was still bitter about the secrecy, but he was already aware that he couldn’t lash out at his family either. In addition to everything, he remembered how silently distraught his mother’s facial expression was on the very first day he arrived at the home when she opened the door to find the six year old standing outside. It must’ve pained her all those years of pretending and Chanyeol couldn’t bring himself to be angry when he was blissfully unaware unlike his family who had to watch Kyungsoo grow up over time.  
  
“We’ll talk about this later,” he finally said, catching his mother nodding and stepping aside to ease his access to the doorway. “I’m going to pick him up and walk with him back here… and I’m going to tell him that I know.”  
  
“That sounds exciting,” Yoora said, raising her brows. “Let me know how that goes so I can tell Sehun, too. He’s always been disappointed he doesn’t have any cousins.”  
  
“I’m sure Soo will be happy about this, too.”  
  
“Not as happy as he’ll be when you tell him,” his mother pointed out. Though she tried, Chanyeol could still hear traces of joy in her voice. “Here, don’t forget to take this umbrella. There’s some light rain, nothing much to worry about.  
  
“Thanks” Chanyeol responded, giving her a nod. “I should get going. I want to be there before they get released from school.”  
  
He opened the door before it finally hit him that everything would change from that day forward. The best case scenario was sharing custody and figuring out a way to share Kyungsoo’s time throughout the year, but there was an even better alternative reality that he consider. However, some things just seemed too out of reach and it all required a little more confidence in the situation, something that Chanyeol was lacking at the moment.  
  
After saying goodbye, he began walking to the school. His head was filled with scenarios and make-believe reactions of what he expected out of Kyungsoo. In the last seven years, he had spent his time making music, touring, and performing, but fatherhood scared him more than any of those things. Aside from his unresolved feelings for Baekhyun and their questionable relationship with one another, he was concerned about how to move forward with Kyungsoo as a father. There was no question in his mind that he couldn’t make up for lost time. He could try to buy the boy’s forgiveness by giving him an endless amount of gifts and toys, but even he knew that happiness couldn’t be bought so easily--at least, happiness that actually lasts.  
  
Looking to his side, Chanyeol watched as the gentle sea softly landed on the shores and wondered how many times when he was young had he wished to never see the ocean again. He remembered thinking that it was so constant and boring unlike Seoul and other exciting cities abroad. It was all stupid contempt and his lack of appreciation. As boring and uninteresting the little seaside village seemed to him, his younger self never realized that this simple place and its unchanging currents of the sea would harbor something as pure as a child and the memories of a love he lost.  
  
-  
  
-  
  
There were other parents at school and Chanyeol felt out of place. He wasn’t used to the idea of being one of them--a  _parent_. However, the feeling wasn’t unwanted. As soon as the children began leaving the building, Chanyeol kept his eyes open for Kyungsoo. Luckily for him, he remembered Baekhyun’s call earlier that morning to let him know that the six year old was wearing a bright yellow raincoat. It only took him a few minutes of waiting before he saw Kyungsoo make an exit. Noticeably, his eyes grew a tad bit wider.  
  
As if his height wasn’t enough to get noticed, Chanyeol waved for better measures. He waited until Kyungsoo reached him before he smiled and opened up his hand. Instinctively, Kyungsoo slipped his hand on top of his and gripped on.  
  
It felt so natural and right. In those few seconds, all the nervousness he felt overthinking the situation disappeared and the small hand giving warmth to his own was all that Chanyeol needed to regain his confidence and optimism.  
  
“How was your day?” Chanyeol began, asking the simple question.  
  
“Okay.”  
  
“What’d you do?”  
  
“Finger paint.”  
  
Glancing down at their hands, Chanyeol was surprised to notice the faint traces of blue on the tip of Kyungsoo’s fingers. He wondered how he didn’t initially noticed the detail, but figured he was too encompassed in the moment to have bothered looking. “Really? What’d you end up making?”  
  
“My dad.”  
  
“Ah, I see. I think he’ll like it.”  
  
“For you, too,” Kyungsoo added. A small smile appear on his face and Chanyeol was taken aback.  
  
“For  _me_?”  
  
Nodding, Kyungsoo stopped in his tracks and let go of Chanyeol’s hand. He shrugged his backpack off and began to unzip the back, rummaging what little papers he had inside until he found the one he was searching for.  
  
Reaching upwards, Kyungsoo offered a thick piece of paper that had collapsed within itself as the paint in the middle had dried up. Taking it into his hands, Chanyeol stared at the painting. It was a starfish on a rock, and, initially, he didn’t understand why Kyungsoo had chosen to paint that particular image until he remembered how he had taken him to the tide pools. They didn’t see anything exciting, but there were a lot of starfishes that he had pointed out and maybe that memory stuck out to the boy.  
  
Painted with blue acrylic, Chanyeol gently grazed his thumb over the dried paint. “I love it.”  
  
“It’s the starfish,” Kyungsoo told him. “The blue one.”  
  
“From the tide pools, right?”  
  
“Yeah.”  
  
“You’re a great artist.” At the sight of the six year old blushing at the compliment, Chanyeol threw his head back and laughed. “Don't be shy. You probably got your creative side from your dad.”  
  
Shaking his head, Kyungsoo disagreed. “Dad’s not...”  
  
Chanyeol raised a brow. “No? Then who’d you get it from then?”  
  
Pursing his lips together, Kyungsoo looked at him with cheeks puffed out as if the secret he was desperately trying to keep to himself was one breath away from being spilled. It was something that tugged at the giant.  
  
“My other dad.” The answer carefully avoided specifics, but Chanyeol smiled nonetheless. “Dad says he’s…”  
  
“Dad says he’s what? Handsome?” Despite the fact that he was joking, there was a part of him that was also slightly curious if Kyungsoo would confirm or deny it. “Smart? Maybe even... _sexy_?”  
  
Kyungsoo stared at him. “What’s sexy?”  
  
“It means you like someone,” Chanyeol replied, carefully putting the artwork back into his son’s bag for safe keeping. After zipping it up and carefully fixing the bag back on Kyungsoo, he took hold of his hand again as they began walking in the direction of Yixing’s store. “Let’s say you think someone’s cute. You call them sexy.”  
  
“My dad says...he’s dumb.” Kyungsoo seemed a bit worried at the confession. Attempting to make it up, he offered up a small compliment to remedy any damages done. “But he says don’t call people dumb...”  
  
It wasn’t exactly the answer that Chanyeol expected, but it still made him chuckle. “No, it’s fine. He’s probably right.”  
  
“Why?”  
  
“Because he’s right. I am dumb.”  
  
Kyungsoo’s eyes almost immediately darted upwards and the grip on Chanyeol’s hand got a little bit tighter. He looked as if he was processing the latter’s words, making sure that he hadn’t heard it wrong in the first place… The silence that fell between them was hard to ignore, but they had reached the small store before Kyungsoo could recover enough to respond.  
  
Despite how surprised he was by the sight of Chanyeol walking in with Kyungsoo in tow, Yixing managed to mask his initial reaction by giving the two a wide grin. “Hey, guys! What can I do for you?”  
  
“We’re here for ice cream,” Chanyeol responded, looking down at Kyungsoo. “Ice cream on a rainy day? Does that sound okay to you?”  
  
Kyungsoo opened his mouth, but no words came out. Instead, he gave a small nod. Reaching into the front pocket of his raincoat, he snapped open the button and pulled out the money that Baekhyun secured in the spot.  
  
As soon as he saw the six year old offering up the bill to him, Chanyeol frowned. “What’s this for?”  
  
“Money for the ice cream,” Kyungsoo said. “Dad said to give it to you and--”  
  
“No, no.” Interrupting him, Chanyeol took the bill and put it back in the boy’s pocket. “It’s my treat. I’ll pay for it.”  
  
“But--”  
  
“Park Kyungsoo.” Immediately, he went silent. “You can keep the money… Tell daddy I told you so.”  
  
“Dad--”  
  
Turning his attention to Yixing, Chanyeol smiled as he set the umbrella against the counter. “Can you just charge me what it’d cost to get two of those Cled’or ice cream cones?  
  
“Sure! Need anything else?” To Kyungsoo, Yixing asked, “What would you like from the store, Soo? I’ll let you sneak something out.”  
  
Not many words managed to escape him, but the six year old was able to say a few. “Chocolate…”  
  
His voice was small and wavering, but Chanyeol could feel him holding his hand tighter than before. There must’ve been a million things he wanted to say or ask, but being in the store was preventing him from doing so freely. The wait almost looked as if it was building up inside his tiny body and the giant was sympathizing.  
  
After he paid for the cones and Kyungsoo received the chocolate bar from Yixing himself, Chanyeol said thank you and barely missed the way Yixing was throwing glances between him and Kyungsoo. The message was silent, but it was clear. No words were needed to be exchanged for him to realize what the latter was insinuating, but Chanyeol saw it as encouragement.  
  
As soon as they left the store and began their short journey back to the Byuns’ residence, Kyungsoo finally spoke more words than he had ever done in front of anyone--Baekhyun included.  
  
“You know you’re my dad!” The ice cream cone in his hand was untouched. Not even the sweet treat could distract him. “My dad said that you had a surprise. He said you would know someday! He  _promised_  me. He--”  
  
Chanyeol stopped them momentarily only to ditch the umbrella he had in hand. Closing it, he opted to walk in the rain with the hood of his jacket drawn up instead if it meant that he could carry Kyungsoo in his arms instead. Although it was more work, he didn’t mind it all.  
  
In turn, Kyungsoo grabbed onto his neck of support, but remained determined to maintain eye contact. “I knew all along, but dad said… He said that you weren’t ready and...and he--”  
  
“He told me the exact same thing,” Chanyeol said softly, remembering the way Baekhyun had cried that night… “But he was only trying to protect you. I hope you know that.”  
  
“I wanted to tell you.”  
  
“I know..” Sighing, the giant fixed the hood of Kyungsoo’s raincoat to cover more of his head. The boy either didn’t care or hadn’t realized how damp his hair was becoming in the front, but Chanyeol knew that if he got sick because of it, Baekhyun would probably never trust him to be with Kyungsoo in the rain ever again. “But I’m here now and I know. I haven’t been here for you at all. There’s no excuse for that, but I’ll be here from now on. I promise.”  
  
Kyungsoo searched Chanyeol’s eyes for reassurance, and relaxed soon after. It only took a short amount of time for him to feel completely and utterly safe with Chanyeol, almost as if a bond had always been there, but always buried.  
  
“You won’t go away?”  
  
The question had fear intricately sewed underneath its tones. Chanyeol was well aware where and who had instilled that fear in his son, even if it wasn’t done intentionally.  
  
Gently pressing his forehead against Kyungsoo’s own, the giant smile with a warmth in his heart that he had only experienced once before. “I won’t leave you… If anything, I’ll take you with me.”  
  
At first, Kyungsoo’s face lit up. His fears of abandonment were put at ease and squashed, and a sense of excitement rushed through him at the thought of traveling with his father. After countless nights of dreaming and wondering, all of it was coming true.  
  
But as seconds passed, new questions made themselves known and Kyungsoo asked them without regard. “Take me with you where?”  
  
Chanyeol gave a small laugh. “To Seoul, particularly Gangnam. You’ll have your own bedroom, toys… You can have your own playground if you want.”  
  
The sharp intake of breath was audible and the expression on the boy’s face was easily decipherable, but the next question that came from him was as selfless as he was raised. “What about dad?”  
  
“What about him?”  
  
Unlike before, Kyungsoo dropped his voice, almost to a whisper. It was obvious that the thought of leaving Baekhyun and separating from him was the cause of the torn feelings raging inside. “Will we leave him here?”  
  
Chanyeol stopped walking. The house was a fair distance away and his eyes couldn’t help but look in the direction of his childhood home. There were things that he considered impossible in the beginning. Almost unimaginable.  
  
But as he turned back to Kyungsoo and saw the way his eyes were yearning for an answer that was whole and complete, Chanyeol knew that he had to make changes and take chances if he wanted to pursue a dream so impossibly foolish that only an idiot would even consider to attempt it...  
  
“No,” he said, finally answering the question. His voice was as resolute as his determination. “He’ll come with us.”

 

* * *

 **a/n:** im never doing that RT thing again omf.. but here it is. I cut some things I originally planned, but it's for the better of things because I think these certain scenes will do better in the next chapter. Enjoy! And happy be-lated Valentine's Day. Who needs boys when you have exobubz hueheuhe im kidding (not rlly) But anyways!!! ill see you guys in like 4 months

_*** If you like my work, consider donating to my[ko-fi account](https://ko-fi.com/exobubz)  c': ***_

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	10. Ships

Baekhyun sat by the front door of the Park’s living room with anxiety and nerves that he couldn’t suppress despite the countless times he tried by pacing back and forth in the room. Yoora had left to get Sehun and Chanyeol’s mother and father were upstairs, preparing the older man’s belongings for the trip, leaving the brunet alone in the silence downstairs. By the time his ears picked up on the sound of the door knob turning, Baekhyun was already an emotional wreck, but he did his best to hide it the moment Chanyeol walked in with Kyungsoo in tow.  
  
Noticing how the latter was at a loss for words, Chanyeol smiled and decided to break the silence himself. “So… I think it’s safe to say that it went well. Right, Soo?”  
  
Nodding, Kyungsoo smiled. He hesitantly let go of Chanyeol’s hand and ran over to Baekhyun, washing away the last of the brunet’s worries that afternoon the moment they reunited for a hug. Then, before Baekhyun could ask, the details of the six year old’s time together with his father flowed out of him. “We had ice cream and he said I could call him dad now.”  
  
Raising a brow, Baekhyun cocked his head at the boy. “Did he?”  
  
“Dad said I can live in Seoul with him.”  
  
“Oh.” For a split second, Baekhyun’s heart dropped, and it was obvious enough to make Kyungsoo soften his face, almost realizing what he had implicated.  
  
“But...dad also said that you--”  
  
“I think,” Chanyeol said, interrupting him as he came up from behind and put a hand on his son’s head, “that it might be better if I talk to him about that in private.”  
  
“Okay.” Pursing his lips, Kyungsoo turned his eyes back to Baekhyun. “Are you leaving now?”  
  
“We’re leaving in about an hour, but I packed some snacks for you in the kitchen,” Baekhyun said as he began to unbutton Kyungsoo’s wet raincoat. “I’ve already set up your futon in the other room and put away your clothes in the closet for the next few days.”  
  
Kyungsoo nodded again, shrugging off the jacket. “Will you be back soon?”  
  
“It’ll only be a couple of days like last time.”  
  
“Can we do stuff?”  
  
“Um… We’ll see.” Glancing up at Chanyeol, Baekhyun met his eyes and saw the way the latter was smirking as he put the umbrella in his hand away. Shaking his head, the brunet turned his attention to Kyungsoo’s boots. “Mr. Park and I will talk about it and make plans.”  
  
“You should call dad by his name now,” Kyungsoo said, lifting up a leg as Baekhyun pulled on his footwear.  
  
“Oh, I should?”  
  
“Yes…”  
  
“I agree with Kyungsoo’s point,” Chanyeol teased, adding to the boy’s cause. “Besides, I don’t mind you calling me by my first name in front of him. I think it’ll help make things more casual.”  
  
Once he finished taking off his son’s rain gear, Baekhyun got up and sighed, raising a brow at his ex. “One day and you’re already starting to influence him.”  
  
Shrugging, Chanyeol softly chuckled. “It’s in his genes.”  
  
Baekhyun rolled his eyes as he gently used an arm to move Chanyeol aside in order to reach the hangers near the door where he promptly hung the yellow raincoat. “I’ll think about it,” he said, playing along despite knowing that he’d most likely begin to feel comfortable speaking to him more informally even with Kyungsoo present. “Anyways, I’m glad that things went okay and that both of you seem happier.”  
  
Reaching out, Chanyeol touched Baekhyun by his waist, surprising him. “What about you?”  
  
His first instinct was to respond openly, but after reminding himself that Kyungsoo was watching the both of them with wide and anxious eyes, Baekhyun decided that there were things better left unsaid and saved for a later time. “I’m happy, too,” he finally said, offering a smile to reassure both of them that he felt the same way. “Now, can you be a helpful daddy and take Kyungsoo in the dining area for his snack?”  
  
Snorting, Chanyeol rolled his eyes, but didn’t argue. “I’d be  _happy_  to,” he replied, walking over and putting a hand on Kyungsoo’s back. “Where’s it again?”  
  
“In the fridge. The middle rack,” Baekhyun answered.  
  
Chanyeol winked, startling the brunet who didn’t expect that flirtatious act. “Got it.”  
  
-  
  
-  
  
  
  
When the bus arrived at the station, Baekhyun could feel Chanyeol stand next to him, watching it as it pulled in. His only possession was his backpack, though the same couldn’t be said about the giant who skipped out on the light-packing, opting to use a duffle bag, which he had put in the bus’ under storage. He probably overpacked, but Baekhyun wasn’t planning on commenting about it.  
  
The sun was beginning to set, painting the sky in orange hues. Though it wouldn’t take long to arrive at the farm, it was already clear that it’d be dark by the time they arrive at their destination. There weren’t many people coming off the bus and there were only a handful of men loading on, making the process go by a lot faster. Mr. Park decided to sit and accompany a personal friend of his, so Baekhyun decided to diverge and looked for a seat near the middle. Looking over his shoulder, he saw Chanyeol behind him with the gut feeling that the giant was intending to sit next to him.  
  
Inwardly sighing, Baekhyun found two empty seats next to one another and occupied the one nearest to the window. For a split moment, he looked up and saw Chanyeol’s eyes, almost questioning as if it was alright to take the unoccupied seat to the right of him. Then, Baekhyun gestured to the spot. “It’s all yours.”  
  
“Only if you don’t mind me sitting next to you,” Chanyeol said, double-checking.  
  
“I don’t,” Baekhyun reassured him. “You don’t have to sound like I can’t stand being around you. I don’t feel that way, especially now that you and I have to be co-parents. We’re going to have to be with each other more often that you’d probably like.”  
  
As he was sitting down, Chanyeol gave him a questioning look. “More than  _I_  would probably like? Now you’re making it sound like being around you is a chore to me.”  
  
He was merely teasing and Baekhyun was fully aware of that. “You know what I mean, Chanyeol,” he said as he pushed his backpack underneath his seat. “I just want things to be okay between us.”  
  
“Me, too.” There was sincerity in his voice and in the way their eyes briefly met, but Baekhyun looked away, breaking the connection. “Let’s talk about normal things, then. So, how does… this entire thing work?”  
  
“What thing? Rice planting or co-parenting? I have answers for only one of those two things.”  
  
“Very funny,” Chanyeol said, nudging him with his shoulder. Baekhyun swayed slightly to the right as he played along. “You might not know anything about co-parenting, but you do know a lot of things about parenting in general so when we can, maybe we can talk about that, too.”  
  
“No, we’ll definitely have to talk about parenting. It’ll be like a crash course of the last six to seven years,” Baekhyun said as he laughed, running a hand through his hair. As his laughter trailed off, he began to reminisce about all the memories (both past and recent) of Kyungsoo and his childhood… “There’re a lot of things you should know.”  
  
“Well… You and I have about an hour to kill. We could talk about it right now.”  
  
“Didn’t you want to talk about the farm thing just a second ago?” Baekhyun reminded him.  
  
Chanyeol shrugged. “We can talk about it when we get there. Besides, we’re not going to be starting until tomorrow morning. I’m a little more interested on hearing what you have to say about Soo.”  
  
“And what if I wanted to take a nap?”  
  
“Well…” Quirking his lips, Chanyeol shrugged again. “I guess you could, but just don’t lean on me when you do. I don’t want you drooling over me. Literally.”  
  
Flustered, Baekhyun gaped at him. “I would never.”  
  
“Never what?”  
  
“Drool all over you.”  
  
“Oh, I don’t know about that,” Chanyeol said, sneaking a glance over at him before settling into his seat and closing his eyes as the smirk on his lips remained. “I know you and your habits, Byun Baekhyun. Maybe even better than you.”  
  
“You know the habits of a stupid eighteen year old,” Baekhyun responded. “I’m twenty-six now and I’ve learned better.”  
  
“Have you really?”  
  
“I would say so.”  
  
“That’s too bad, then. That old habit of yours was kind of cute.”  
  
“Wait a minute. Are you  _flirting_  with me right now?” Baekhyun asked, cocking his head at his ex.  
  
“Not really,” the giant replied.  
  
“Oh--”  
  
“But if I was, it’s not like I would tell you.”  
  
The bus began to rumble as its engine came to life. Last calls were made before the driver took his place and had the doors shut. As soon as the bus began to move out of its slot, it finally gave Baekhyun an excuse to look at something besides Chanyeol’s (stupid) face.  
  
“Anyways,” the brunet said after a few seconds had passed with the intent of changing the subject. “You wanted to talk about Kyungsoo so I guess I can start by telling you how he’s going in school and what-not.”  
  
“You don’t need to tell me about that. I already know he’s smart.”  
  
“How?”  
  
“Because he’s really curious about everything,” Chanyeol told him with ease. It was an observation that he noticed from the very first time they met and despite sparing very few little words, Kyungsoo’s eyes always seemed to have questions he was too afraid ask. “If you don’t mind talking about it, what was he like as a baby? Everytime I think about him, I wonder what it must’ve been like for you to raise him by yourself like that…”  
  
Baekhyun sighed, his eyes focused on the blurred trees as the bus passed on by. “Surprisingly, he was very loud as a baby. He was always crying on and off. It didn’t matter if he was hungry or tired, he was just a handful. Now that I think about it, he must’ve gotten that from you since you live to be loud.”  
  
“But now he’s more like you.”  
  
“Most of the time,” the brunet admitted. “Otherwise, when he really wants to say something or when he’s excited, he’ll keep talking on and on and on… I guess he’s got a little bit of both of us.”  
  
Chanyeol opened his eyes, focusing on the ground. “Yeah…” For a few lingering seconds, they sat in silence. Maybe it was because it hadn’t hit him that hard before that they had created something  _together_. Then, there was the reminder that he had been missing from their lives since the very beginning, and it was more bitter to think about that specific loss of time with every recollection of past, old memories. It became clear that he preferred to stay in the present and, hopefully, in the future.  
  
“I changed my mind.”  
  
Baekhyun turned his head in Chanyeol’s direction and raised his eyes until he found himself studying the side of the man’s face. He was noticeably troubled and yet, so resolved.  
  
“Changed your mind about what?”  
  
“Tell me how he’s doing in school. I want to know what he’s like,” Chanyeol said softly, making eye contact with the latter. “His favorite color, food, games… Everything he is now.”  
  
“Chanyeol…”  
  
“I know I couldn’t--” Chanyeol stopped himself. His jaw tightened. “I know I  _wasn’t_  there for you when he was a baby. You never told me about him and it’s all my fault because I know why you decided to raise him by yourself instead of contacting me.”  
  
Baekhyun bit his lower lip and nodded, understanding the regret that was interlaced in the way that he spoke.  
  
“And… I know you’re still unsure about me and this entire co-parenting thing. I get it. But things’ll be different this time.” Reaching up, Chanyeol pushed away the strands of stray hair away from Baekhyun’s eyes and smiled. “Can’t say I have the  _best_  reputation, but for the both of you, I’ll be better. Promise.”  
  
Baekhyun was tempted to divert his eyes from Chanyeol’s gaze. As the man’s fingers brushed faintly against his face, he could feel his breathing hitch in rhythm. His charm was undeniable and Baekhyun couldn’t say otherwise when thinking about how his feelings were feeling chaotic and reckless in that moment.  
  
He wanted to believe everything that Chanyeol was saying, and to cling to each and every promise. There was change in the way the giant carried himself throughout the day, especially when he was around Kyungsoo. At the same time, Baekhyun remained reserved and cautious when it came to blindly accepting Chanyeol’s word. However, this time around, he was willing to try and wish for the best once again, treading on ice thin hope.  
  
“Thank you.”  
  
-  
  
-  
  
The farm was poorly lit and the walk from the station was a bit of work, but Chanyeol kept his mouth shut about it and even offered to carry Baekhyun’s backpack for him (the gesture was politely declined). The few others that had accompanied them decided to stay at a group hostel for the time being, feeling more comfortable near the bars and small shops in town since, to them, it was a nice change of scenery.  
  
When they reached the small makeshift house that was meant to house them for the next few days, it was obvious that the building was only being used sporadically around the year for the sake of work and convenience.  
  
Chanyeol couldn’t even remember the last time he stepped foot on that land, but he did remember the house since he often referred to it as a “stupid, old shack” when he was younger. But as his father unlocked the front door and they shuffled inside after him, the memories that had filled his youth within those walls rushed back to him.  
  
Flipping a bare switch on the wall, Baekhyun turned on the only lightbulb in the very small, tight common room. Its yellow glow was barely enough to see, and it was so dim that Chanyeol’s eyes had to readjust significantly to the low lighting situation.  
  
“Baekhyun, it’s okay if you take the room this time,” Mr. Park announced, nodding at a room to the left of him. He set the styrofoam box he had carried by himself, which carried their food packed from home, against a wall. “Chanyeol and I will sleep out here.”  
  
Chanyeol meant to gently oppose the notion, but to his surprise, Baekhyun managed to speak up first. “It’s alright. That room has the only cot around here and I don’t want you to hurt your back. I know you’ve been seeing the chiropractor lately, so I think it’s best if we keep the same arrangements as usual.”  
  
“Ah, I see… I just wanted to make sure you were okay and all.”  
  
Smiling, Baekhyun nodded. “I know, but I’ll be alright. Chanyeol shouldn’t give me any troubles. If he does, I’ll let you know.”  
  
Chuckling, Mr. Park turned his attention to Chanyeol who was busy rolling his eyes at the remark. “I’ll let you help Baekhyun set up here. You can put your bags in the corner.”  
  
After he left, Baekhyun turned his back towards Chanyeol and placed his backpack against the wall. Chanyeol did the same, but on the opposite side like his father had suggested. As he was doing so, the brunet moved to the hallway closet and slid the door to the side in order to access the futons.  
  
Chanyeol walked up from behind him, intending to help. “So… Are we going to have to share one?” he said quietly enough for only Baekhyun to hear. “I wouldn’t mind. It gets kind of cold with the higher elevation, too, you know.”  
  
When Baekhyun turned his head, he didn’t expect Chanyeol’s face to be so close. It momentarily shocked him, but within a heartbeat, he recovered and was collected enough to reply back. “Don’t be stupid. There’s two of them.”  
  
“That’s too bad.”  
  
Baekhyun blinked, staring at the man next to him intently. Maybe he was overthinking Chanyeol’s borderline flirtatious remarks followed by an immediate attempt at dismissal, but the brunet couldn’t figure it out. It was starting to bother him and mess with his own feelings, but he pushed those thoughts aside as he pulled out one of the futons using both arms and shoving them into Chanyeol’s own. “Here’s yours.”  
  
Scrunching his face, Chanyeol looked down at the bedding. “When was the last time this was used?”  
  
“Maybe about a month ago,” Baekhyun told him, grabbing his own futon. “Your father came up here a few times earlier to ready the fields. He’s also been getting new equipment slowly over the months. All the older things are starting to break down.”  
  
“Hm…” Stepping back a few steps, Chanyeol turned around and drop his futon on the ground. “I think I’ll take this spot.”  
  
“Right in the middle of the space?”  
  
“Yeah.”  
  
Baekhyun frowned. “I think you should move over and make room for mine.”  
  
“I think there’s enough room for you, though?”  
  
“I don’t want our futons to be touching.” Baekhyun’s eyes tried their best to calculate the amount of space they’d have in between one another, but it always came back to the same conclusion of having only very  _little_. “No offense… I just think it might be better for us both in terms of comfortability and all.”  
  
Chanyeol looked down at his placement. “Maybe you’re right.” Then, bending over, he moved his futon slightly to the right by a few inches. “Better?”  
  
It hardly made any difference, but with the room dimensions, it was the best they could do. “I think that’s probably as good as it could get…” he said under his breath before turning away. “You should go help your father.”  
  
“What about you?”  
  
“What about me?”  
  
“Don’t you need help with anything else?”  
  
Looking around, there wasn’t really much left  _to_  do. Shaking his head, Baekhyun pursed his lips. “No. This is typically all there is to it. I mean, besides unfolding everything and laying it out, we’re pretty much done.” He paused. “Besides, um… I’ll be going out for a bit. I just need to put the food we packed in the fridge first before I head for town.”  
  
Frowning, Chanyeol looked over with slight confusion strewn across his face. “What’s in town?”  
  
“You ask a lot of question,” Baekhyun commented.  
  
Ignoring the remark, the giant only shrugged. “I’m curious,” he said.  
  
Unconvinced, Baekhyun broke eye contact and walked over to the styrofoam box. “Well… I’m going to go and get a drink for myself. Maybe...de-stress with other people, I guess you could say.”  
  
“So, by ‘drink’, I’m assuming you’re not talking about your average soda-- Here, let me help.” Striding across the room, Chanyeol knelt down and took the side dishes that Baekhyun gave over to him.  
  
“If you want to put it that way, then yeah. Not your average soda drink. Come on. Follow me to the back,” Baekhyun ordered, balancing his items as he rose up and began making the short trip to the kitchen area, pulling open the small fridge with one hand. “I’ll arrange them. Just give them to me one by one.”  
  
“Alright.” Chanyeol watched at the brunet stacked the containers accordingly. “About that soda thing, it sounds fun. I might want to go too.”  
  
Baekhyun stopped, eyes slowly looking up at the giant who, in turn, looked back with the same sheepish grin on his face that had been showing up more often than not. “You want to go with me?”  
  
“Yeah. It’s been a while. I’m sure the night life out here isn’t the same as it is in Seoul. Maybe it’ll make for a nice change of scenery. I doubt they have paparazzi here waiting for me to slip up again.”  
  
The mere mention of tabloids and overexposure made Baekhyun inwardly cringe. It was as if, for a moment, he forgot Chanyeol’s life was constantly being photographed by overzealous fans and media outlets. Letting out a breath, Baekhyun resumed putting away the food.  
  
“Honestly, if you want to come, then you can.”  
  
“We can de-stress together.”  
  
Again, Baekhyun stopped. “Chanyeol, I… Listen, I know you and I are trying to be… _better_ , especially now that you and I are going to have to work together to raise Kyungsoo from now, but you really don’t have to try and force this relationship bonding thing, okay? I don’t want you to feel like you have to be friends with me now that we’re co-parenting. We don’t have to be friends, even. All that matters is that we get along and we’re not trying to rip out each other’s throats in front of our son.”  
  
Just the  _thought_  of what Baekhyun was insinuating offended Chanyeol the moment he realized his words and actions were misunderstood. The air around him seemed cautious and careful, but it was also something that Chanyeol couldn’t dismiss.  
  
Everything had been going by so fast that it almost felt like they had no room to breathe in-between each milestone. In the mix of it all were feelings lost within all the chaos of wondering about parental duties and relationships. Chanyeol could hardly blame Baekhyun for being confused and misconstrued…  
  
In that moment, Chanyeol knew he needed to take a step back. Maybe he was approaching everything the wrong way and building their relationship in the only way he knew how to and it was obviously not working. Looking into Baekhyun’s eyes, he saw the fear and uncertainty; a man who was unsure whether or not to believe his feelings or the doubts that ran circles around his head.  
  
And yet, he didn’t know how to break those last barriers.  
  
Running a hand through his dark hair, Chanyeol sighed. The day had been eventful and with the trip itself aside, he could feel himself being more weary. He wasn’t in the mood to argue. “I’m not doing this because I feel like I have to, Baek, but since I don’t want you to feel uncomfortable with me around, I’ll just stay here for tonight and let you go by yourself. I’m kind of tired anyways so I might just go ahead and try to sleep soon as I send some emails  _if_  I can get a signal.”  
  
“Chanyeol… I didn’t mean it like  _that_ ,” Baekhyun said, reaching out for him and touching the giant by his arm. “I’m just saying that you don’t have to force yourself to be my best friend and follow me around just to get close to you.”  
  
“I’m not trying to be your best friend, Baek,” Chanyeol responded, eyes dropping to where Baekhyun’s hand was gently resting. “I’m…”  
  
Waiting, Baekhyun furrowed his brows and took a step towards the latter. “You’re what?” he asked.  
  
“I’m...tired.” It wasn’t what he wanted to say, but neither the time nor the situation was ideal for the conversation that would’ve ensued. “But, it’s fine. Don’t worry about it.”  
  
“But you sound mad at me. If you have something you want to tell me then you can say it.”  
  
“It’s not…” What did he want to say?  _Easy?_  Softening his features, Chanyeol shook his head. “It’s not  _like_  that.”  
  
“What’s not like  _what_?”  
  
“I’m not mad at you,” the giant clarified. When he saw the unconvinced look Baekhyun gave him, he continued. “Like I said, I’m just tired. You can go ahead without me.”  
  
Chanyeol began walking back to the main room, knowing that Baekhyun was trailing behind him closely. They didn’t speak another word to each other and the silence was accompanied by the faint sound of insects beyond the thin walls of the house. As Chanyeol knelt beside his bags to ready himself for bed, he could feel Baekhyun’s eyes on him before hearing the brunet move farther away, eventually hearing the front door open and shut soon after.  
  
-  
  
-  
  
Baekhyun didn’t go overboard, but he did have enough drinks to forget about Chanyeol by a  _little_ bit. He knew he still had to walk back to the farm house and work the next morning, so he wasn’t wasted entirely. Coupled with the reminder that Mr. Park was sleeping in the same house, Baekhyun needed to be mostly sober in order to keep quiet and prevent himself from stumbling around in the dark, making unnecessary noise.  
  
By the time he arrived back, it was already past twelve in the morning. Before he entered the house, Baekhyun took a few minutes for himself outside, attempting to recollect and prepare himself for the task of trying to make his way over to his futon without tripping over something or--worse--tripping over  _Chanyeol_. When he felt like he was prepared, Baekhyun unlocked the door and slowly stepped inside, moving as quietly as he could until the door shut. Even then, the creaking of the hinges were enough to make the brunet wince.  
  
Afterwards, with his back pressed against the door, Baekhyun took off his shoes and pushed them aside. He knew that Chanyeol had placed his futon to the right side of the room, farthest from the door and nearest to the single bedroom, so it didn’t take long for Baekhyun to find his futon in the dark, but it surprised him how it didn’t feel like a large, folded lump like the way he left it. It only took seconds for him to realize that his area had already been set up, even with the pillow.  
  
In the back of his mind, he knew that Chanyeol had done him a favor, but he was too tired to jostle the latter to thank him, and even in his mildly drunken state, Baekhyun was afraid to bother him at all. Decided that maybe it was best to give his gratitude later that morning, Baekhyun slipped under the covers. He knew that it would’ve been better to take off his clothes and change into something more comfortable than jeans and a shirt, but he just wanted to sleep.  
  
However, trying to sleep proved to be somewhat difficult. Though his eyes were practically dying, his entire body was still high off adrenaline, which was grossly overpowering the fatigueness his body was also feeling at the same time. Annoyed, he tossed… and then he turned. Every few seconds, he repeated the same process, each time with the hope that  _maybe_  he’d tired himself and knock out. After ten minutes, he rolled over on his back and let out an exasperated groan, defeated.  
  
“Can you stay still?”  
  
Blinking, Baekhyun turned his head in the direction of the deep voice coming from the dark. “What the…? Why’re you still up?”  
  
“I’m not. I woke up because of you.”  
  
“Sorry…”  
  
Chanyeol didn’t reply back immediately and, for a minute, Baekhyun assumed that the giant had ignored him. “It doesn’t matter. Don’t worry about it.”  
  
If there was one thing that had been bothering Baekhyun all night, it was Chanyeol’s passiveness. He didn’t know why it annoyed him so much, but he couldn’t stand feeling like the man had something to say that he was holding back or just plainly evading. Normally, Baekhyun wouldn’t push things, but he felt a little braver then than he normally did.  
  
“Why do you still sound so…  _annoyed_  with me?” Baekhyun asked. His tone was neutral and wondering, but even to Chanyeol’s ears, it seemed a little bothered and… sad. “I didn’t mean anything bad by what I said to you before. Was I wrong to tell you that you shouldn’t force any type of relationship between us just because of Kyungsoo?”  
  
Again, Chanyeol’s response came delayed.  
  
“Yeol--”  
  
“Has it ever occured to you that I’m not trying to force anything? That I actually want a relationship with you, whether that’s romantic or not?” Chanyeol sounded upset and, in turn, Baekhyun was taken aback.  
  
“No, I…” Baekhyun started, but he couldn’t finish. His head was already so clouded. Understanding what Chanyeol meant and what he  _wanted_  from him was so difficult that it made him feel like he was a stupid teenager again; clueless. “So, then what? I don’t understand, Yeol.”  
  
“Then it’s fine--”  
  
“No, it’s not,” Baekhyun insisted. “What do you mean by a relationship? Of course, we have to have one. We’re parents. I just meant that we don’t have to be attached to the hip all the time because--”  
  
Chanyeol cut him off. “I  _know_ that’s what you meant. You don’t have to explain it to me for the hundredth time.” Groaning, he rolled over on his belly, pressing his face on his pillow. “Just go to sleep.”  
  
With the added adrenaline in his system, Baekhyun knew that he wouldn’t be able to. “Then what do you want from me? Do you actually want to be friends again?” He paused, closing his eyes. “Because if that’s what you want, then we can do that. I just want you to stop confusing me, you know… I hate it when you do that.”  
  
Seconds passed before Chanyeol spoke again. “What do I do that confuses you?”  
  
“Everything… From the things you do and the things you say,” Baekhyun mumbled. He opened his eyes again and stared into the dark. “I don’t know if you know it or not, but I feel like you still play with my feelings sometimes. It might be unintentional so I never want to bring it up to you. I just don’t want to seem crazy-- I don’t know. Never mind I said anything--”  
  
“Baek,” Chanyeol interrupted.  
  
“Yeah?”  
  
“When I told you that I wasn’t trying to be your best friend, I was being honest. I don’t want to  _just_ be your best friend. I’m trying to be something more.” The giant briefly stopped. The silence was almost deafening. “You probably don’t even know what I’m trying to say. How drunk are you, by the way?”  
  
Ignoring the remark, Baekhyun pushed himself up by his elbows and turned his body in Chanyeol’s direction. “Why can’t you just be straightforward with me?”  
  
“Oh my god…” Chanyeol groaned inwardly, forcing himself to sit upright. “You’re really dense, you know that?”  
  
Baekhyun gaped as he sat fully upright as well. “What do you  _mean_  I’m dense?”  
  
“You’re--” Biting down on his lower lip, Chanyeol decided otherwise and chose to stop himself. “Honestly? Let’s talk about this tomorrow. I’m tired and you should sleep off the alcohol.”  
  
Not willing to let it end that easily, Baekhyun pushed more. “No. Why do you think I’m dense? What does that mean?”  
  
As he lied back down on the futon, Chanyeol exhaled. “Baekhyun, I’m tired. You’re drunk, so sleep it off.”  
  
Growling, Baekhyun grabbed his covers and wrapped himself around it before falling back down on his bed. “Fine. But when morning comes, be straightforward with me.”  
  
“And that’s what you want? To tell you upfront about everything?”  
  
“Yeah, I dare you,” Baekhyun said.  
  
The challenge was slightly playful, but Chanyeol wasn’t there to play children’s games.  
  
“Fine. Remember when you asked if I was flirting with you earlier on the bus? I was.” Then, before Baekhyun could say anything in response, Chanyeol rolled, turning his back in Baekhyun’s direction and pulled the covers over his body. “Good-night.”  
  
\- - - - - - - - --  -- - 

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